Missouri abortion-rights amendment could be axed from the ballot after ruling

A Missouri judge on Friday ruled that an abortion-rights campaign did not meet legal requirements to qualify for the November ballot, potentially thwarting a yearslong effort to undo the state’s near-total abortion ban.

But Cole County Circuit Judge Christopher Limbaugh stopped short of removing the measure from the ballot. Instead, he gave the abortion-rights campaign a chance to file a last-minute appeal before Tuesday’s deadline to make changes to the Missouri ballot.

Missourians for Constitutional Freedom will appeal the decision and hopes for “a swift resolution so that Missourians can vote on November 5 to protect reproductive freedom, including access to abortion, birth control and miscarriage care,” campaign manager Rachel Sweet said in a statement.