JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — The Missouri Supreme Court on Tuesday tossed two laws that it said stymied efforts by abortion rights activists to put the state's strict new abortion law to a public vote in 2019.
The laws prevented organizers from gathering signatures to secure a place on the ballot until Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft fulfilled requirements such as preparing a title and 100-word summary of the measure. The court ruled in a 5-2 decision that those regulations allow delays that infringe on the public's right under the state constitution to use the referendum to revoke statutes by popular vote.
Missouri lawmakers passed the abortion law, criminalizing the procedure at eight weeks of pregnancy with no exceptions for cases of rape or incest, on the last day of the legislative session in 2019.
