Missouri Supreme Court weighs fate of amendment to restore abortion rights
By SUMMER BALLENTINE
Associated Press
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Whether Missouri voters get a chance to weigh in on legalizing abortion is now up to state Supreme Court judges. The high court on Tuesday heard arguments in a case over Republican infighting that has stalled the amendment’s progress. The amendment is in response to the Republican-led state’s near-total ban on abortion following the Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade last summer. The auditor estimates that restoring abortion rights could cost at least $51,000. The attorney general says the measure would cost far more than that because of lost revenue that wouldn’t be collected from people who otherwise would be born. Disagreement over the cost means abortion-rights supporters can’t begin efforts to get the proposal on the 2024 ballot.