Many agree that getting abortion rights on the ballot is good for protecting our bodies and our rights. Most also agree that it’s a great issue for Democrats.
This diary isn’t especially original, but as we say (often) in the GNR, repetition is good! Besides, this will be updated as new information comes in. And we’ll try to get out explicit information about where to sign.
As we’re waiting for election season to get going, this is what you can do. If you live in the state being featured, make sure you sign. If you don’t, but know people in the state being featured, try to get them to sign.
This diary is dedicated to Missouri, which has a deadline of May 5, 2024 to get it on the ballot.
Missourians for Constitutional Freedom have launched their effort to get abortion on the ballot.
They are looking for donations, volunteers, and of course, signatures. Here’s what they say about their mission:
Missourians for Constitutional Freedom is a statewide coalition of organizations and concerned citizens from across the state working to establish the right for all Missourians to make decisions about our own reproductive health care – including abortion, birth control, and miscarriage care – without interference from out-of-touch politicians.
The decision of whether or not to have an abortion is a personal choice that should be made by Missourians, their families, and their health care providers – not politicians in Jefferson City. Passing this amendment will end our state’s abortion ban and make sure Missourians and their families can once again make the decisions that are best for them. Decisions around pregnancy, including abortion, birth control, and miscarriage care are personal and private and should be left up to patients and their families. But here in Missouri, politicians are making that decision for us.
We are coming together to end Missouri’s cruel total ban on abortion and give the power to make personal health care decisions back to where it belongs – to the people.
Here are the action items:
Your support is crucial to make this initiative a reality.
Donate: Your donation will directly contribute to kicking politicians out of personal, medical, and family decision making in Missouri.
Volunteer: Every action matters. Sign up to collect signatures, make calls, or host a house party.
Sign the Petition: Sign up to receive updates from the campaign and get notified for opportunities to sign the petition near you!
People can also contact Planned Parenthood (I don’t know how active it is in Missouri), the Missouri ACLU, and possibly the Democratic party to find someone who can help them sign a petition.
Here’s a link to the proposed amendment. Note that the Missouri government may place restrictions after fetal viability, but not to the point it risks the life or health of the patient. I
Here’s some news on the launch: From Adam Edelman, NBC News
A coalition of reproductive and civil rights groups formally launched an effort Thursday [January 18, 2024] to advance an amendment that would enshrine abortion rights in the Missouri Constitution.
Missourians for Constitutional Freedom began collecting signatures throughout the state after they selected one proposed constitutional amendment to attempt to place on the 2024 ballot from an original field of 11 possible options.
The campaign makes Missouri
the latest state where abortion-rights groups have sought to place a constitutional amendment on the ballot after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June 2022. In the 19 months since that ruling, abortion-rights advocates have won
every race in which the issue has appeared directly on the ballot.
The proposed amendment in Missouri would enshrine language in the state constitution that protects abortion rights, as well as other reproductive rights up until fetal viability, or around the 24th week of pregnancy, with exceptions after that point for the life and health of the woman.
12 states where the fate of abortion rights could be on the ballot in 2024 Amy B Wang, Leigh Ann Caldwell, Washington Post, published Dec 20, 2023 (I tried to make this a gift article). Here’s some of what they write about Missouri (note the ban is so unpopular even some Rs are trying to relax things a bit):
The Missouri Women and Family Research Fund, led by longtime GOP operative Jamie Corley, filed multiple petitions with varying language that would add exceptions for rape and incest to the state’s current ban. The petitions also seek to legalize abortions in the state until 12 weeks of pregnancy.
State of play: The efforts by Missourians for Constitutional Freedom are supported by the ACLU of Missouri and are tied up in a legal battle with the secretary of state over potential language. The efforts led by Corley also face an uphill battle, as they do not have the support of national abortion rights groups, who argue that they would not do enough to expand and protect reproductive rights. A campaign must submit at least 171,592 valid signatures by May 5 to appear on the 2024 ballot.
The politics: Missouri has some of the strictest restrictions on abortion in the country, and the state — which Trump won by more than 15 points in 2020 — is reliably conservative. Sen. Josh Hawley (R) is up for reelection next year, and an abortion-related ballot measure could galvanize voter turnout for his to-be-determined Democratic opponent.
Do you have more to add? Please do so in the comments and I will update the diary.
Thanks! Let’s make a difference in 2024!
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