Abortion rights initiative will appear on Missouri's November ballot

An amendment that would enshrine abortion access in Missouri's constitution will appear on the state's general election ballot, Missouri Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft's office announced Tuesday.

Ashcroft, a Republican, deemed that the petitions to qualify the initiative for the ballot had the sufficient number of signatures. He also approved other initiatives for the November ballot, including one on minimum wage and earned paid sick time, as well as one on sports wagering.

If approved, the initiative would amend the state's constitution to establish a right to make decisions about reproductive health care, remove the state's current restrictions on abortion, allow the regulation of reproductive health care to improve a patient's health, and require the government not to discriminate against people providing or seeking reproductive health care.

The ballot would also protect abortion rights up until fetal viability, around the 24th week of pregnancy, except to protect the life or health of the mother.

The group that spearheaded the ballot measure, Missourians for Constitutional Freedom, had submitted the required number of signatures to officials in early May. The group celebrated the development Tuesday in a post on X, saying that it turned in 380,000 signatures.

"I am honored to say that it is our turn to do something that no other state has done before — end a total abortion ban at the ballot box," said Rachel Sweet, campaign manager for Missourians for Constitutional Freedom. "This November, Missouri voters will have the opportunity to make their voices heard and return decisions about abortion to their rightful place — with women, their families and their doctors, not politicians."

Ashcroft was among conservatives who challenged the group's effort to get abortion placed on the ballot.

Missouri has one of the strictest abortion bans in the country, with exceptions to protect the life of the mother and for medical emergencies.

Amendments that would protect or expand abortion rights will also appear on the ballot in seven other states this fall. Organizers in Arkansas, Montana and Nebraska have also submitted signatures for similar ballot measures.

The efforts come after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022, effectively allowing states to decide whether abortion would be legal. Voters in California, Michigan, Ohio and Vermont enshrined access to an abortion in their state’s constitution since then, while similar measures failed in other states.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com