Missouri officials want 'dangerous’ abortions wording restored to summary of ballot measure

PO1 William "Chip" Nagel
..."Attorneys representing Missouri Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft argued Monday that a Cole County circuit judge overstepped his bounds when rewriting an abortion rights ballot summary.

Ashcroft is appealing a decision by Judge John Beetem finding that Ashcroft's language describing six proposed amendments was biased and unfair. The ballot language would limit the ability of the Missouri Legislature — a strongly anti-abortion body — to enact restrictions in place before abortions became illegal statewide in 2022.

The original summary described the proposed constitutional amendments as allowing “dangerous and unregulated abortions until live birth.” Last month, Beetem rewrote the summary as “establishing a right to make decisions about reproductive health care” and undoing the near-total ban on abortion.

Solicitor General Josh Divine, representing Ashcroft, argued that the Missouri Court of Appeals should restore the original wording.

“The trial court strayed far from its legitimate role when it decided to rewrite every single word of every single statement,” Divine said.

Divine argued that anti-discrimination provisions in Missouri law barring a woman from terminating a pregnancy based on sex and race would be unenforceable. Ashcroft’s summary also suggested the state would not be allowed to discriminate against abortion providers in other programs, for example in doling out appropriations for prenatal care."...