Political Ambition’s Role in State Abortion Rights – Daily Montanan
TL/DR –
Supporters of abortion rights in Missouri are gathering signatures to put a constitutional amendment for the legalization of abortion to voters. This follows Missouri’s move two years prior to make abortion virtually illegal in all circumstances. Supporters must gather over 171,000 valid signatures by May 5 for the ballot measure, which has outlasted 16 other related proposals and survived months of litigation with Republican state officials.
Missouri Abortion Rights Supporters Kickstart Signature-Gathering Campaign
Abortion rights advocates in Missouri have initiated a signature-gathering campaign to facilitate a constitutional amendment for legalizing abortion in the state. The Rev. Love Holt emphasized the importance of making abortion access a constitutional right in Missouri, two years after it was virtually banned.
The Ballot Measure
The ballot measure aimed at permitting abortions until fetal viability has withstood numerous related proposals and months of litigation with Republican state officials. Advocates must now collect over 171,000 valid signatures by May 5.
States Weighing Abortion-Related Ballot Measures
Missouri is among 13 states considering abortion-related ballot measures, mainly to safeguard abortion rights. In a presidential election year, national strategy often dictates funding allocation, with Democrats capitalizing on discontent over the rollback of abortion rights to motivate voter turnout and secure victories in Senate and Presidential elections.
Anti-Abortion Campaigns
Meanwhile, Republicans are focusing on state-level opposition campaigns that deter people from signing ballot petitions. Finance records indicate that abortion rights advocates have raised significantly more for ballot campaigns than opponents, although resources are not unlimited, according to Craig Burnett, an expert on ballot initiatives.
Think Big America’s Funding Strategy
Think Big America, a non-profit initiated by J.B. Pritzker, is funding abortion rights initiatives in states where abortion remains legal, but which could significantly impact national politics. The organization is supporting initiatives in Arizona, Nevada, and Montana, states that are crucial for President Joe Biden’s reelection and could influence the control of the U.S. Senate.
National Abortion Ban Threat and Key Voter Groups
About a fifth of key voter groups, such as Democratic women and women of reproductive age, are identified as abortion voters according to new polling from KFF. Although anti-abortion groups are pressuring Republican candidates to support a national ban, Donald Trump, the presumptive GOP presidential nominee, reportedly supports a 16-week ban with exceptions.
Ballot Initiatives as Voter Power
Ballot initiatives provide voters an opportunity to assert control over state legislatures or courts. Abortion rights supporters are battling Republican attempts to disrupt ballot initiatives. In Montana, supporters are seeking to encode abortion access in the state constitution via ballot measure despite a 1999 court ruling that legally protects abortion as a fundamental privacy right.
Financial Support for Abortion Rights
As of March 12, ballot supporters had raised $4.2 million, with funding from national groups including the American Civil Liberties Union and the Fairness Project. Conversely, opponents of the Missouri measure have raised $55,000, nearly half of which comes from the Catholic Church. Mallory Schwarz, Executive Director of Abortion Action Missouri, remains confident that the coalition backing the state’s abortion measure will accomplish their signature goal by May.
Impact on Upcoming Elections
Republican Gov. Mike Parson, who supports Missouri’s near-total abortion ban, will decide whether to put the measure before voters in the state’s August primary or the November general election. GOP strategist Gregg Keller believes that the governor will face immense pressure to put the measure on the August ballot to prevent overshadowing the campaigns of other Republican candidates.
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