Ballot questions on abortion in Missouri, Idaho likely to spur more legal fights
While there will be far fewer ballot initiatives affecting abortion access in the 2026 midterm elections than there were in the previous national election, two in Republican-led states could be consequential.
About 51% of Missouri voters approved an amendment to the state constitution in November 2024 that added a right to reproductive health care, including abortion up to fetal viability, overturning the state’s near-total abortion ban. In the year since, access has largely not been restored, and Republican lawmakers sent another amendment to the 2026 ballot that would undo the new protections. If approved by voters, the measure would reinstate the abortion ban with few exceptions and also ban gender-affirming care for minors.
There are now several court cases about other laws on the books making access nearly impossible to restore. There have also been legal battles over misleading and inaccurate language in the ballot question. In early December, an appeals court reworded it, because the judges determined the original version did not sufficiently inform voters that a “yes” vote would mean repealing the right to an abortion.
“With bills filed already threatening prosecution against providers and patients, it is crucial that Missourians know they are being asked to end the protections for reproductive health care that we just passed in the last general election,” Tori Schafer, director of policy and campaigns for the ACLU of Missouri, said in a statement.
https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/ballot-questions-abortion-missouri-idaho-likely-spur-more-legal-fights