Opponents of Missouri abortion amendment file lawsuit over financial impact statement.
Anti-Abortion Advocates File Lawsuit to Challenge Missouri State Auditor
A trio of passionate anti-abortion advocates in Missouri has taken legal action to challenge the state auditor in an effort to block a ballot initiative that aims to protect abortion rights. This move comes as Missouri currently enforces one of the strictest near-total abortion bans in the nation, with no exceptions for rape or incest, except in cases of extreme medical emergencies that threaten the life of the mother.
Proposed Amendment for 2024 Election Season
At the heart of the matter is a proposed amendment for the 2024 election season, which seeks to secure a vote on enshrining abortion rights in the state constitution. Additionally, the amendment aims to provide explicit protections for contraception and in vitro fertilization. However, controversy has arisen due to Missouri law requiring a financial impact statement of no more than 50 words to be included in a ballot initiative based on the auditor’s estimate.
Last month, the Missouri Supreme Court ruled in a complex case that Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey, a staunch opponent of abortion, improperly withheld his approval of the ballot initiative amendment based on the cost estimate provided by the state’s auditor, Scott Fitzpatrick. Fitzpatrick’s estimate suggests that Greene County, home of Springfield, would experience a loss of $51,000 in tax revenue, but overall, the proposal would have a neutral financial impact.
Lawsuit Challenges the Extant Abortion Ban
On Monday, a lawsuit was filed by Republican state Rep. Hannah Kelly, Republican state Sen. Elizabeth Coleman, and anti-abortion advocate Kathy Forck from New Bloomfield. The plaintiffs argue that overriding the existing abortion ban would harm the state. They contest Fitzpatrick’s assessment that the measure would only affect one county out of Missouri’s 114. Additionally, they claim that abortion protections would jeopardize the state’s access to $12 billion in annual Medicaid funding, according to estimates provided by anti-abortion groups to Fitzpatrick’s office.
The lawsuit asserts that the auditor has a responsibility to inform constituents about the “certain and significant financial losses to Missouri” that would occur if a large number of future Missouri citizens, workers, creators, taxpayers, and heads of families are destroyed through abortion.
However, the financial consequences are not the plaintiffs’ sole concern. They argue that the proposed amendments would result in the destruction of thousands of pre-born Missouri citizens each year, with profound consequences that extend beyond financial matters. They emphasize that the state auditor is legally obligated to calculate the financial costs to Missouri resulting from this significant loss of human life as part of the initiative petition process.
Support and Opposition
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), a staunch supporter of state constitutional amendments to protect abortion rights, has expressed its support for the amendment in Missouri. The organization has vowed to continue fighting for the bodily integrity and autonomy of all Missourians through various avenues, including the courts, state legislature, ballot measures, and grassroots activism.
The exact language of the amendment has yet to be finalized, but supporters will need to gather approximately 170,000 signatures to secure its place on the 2024 ballot.
Click here to read more from The Washington Examiner.
" Conservative News Daily does not always share or support the views and opinions expressed here; they are just those of the writer."
*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases
