Missouri voters to decide whether to reverse abortion ban

Driving the news: Missouri's ballot measure garnered enough votes to make it onto the ballot and was certified Tuesday, the secretary of state's office announced.

• The proposed amendment would have the Missouri Constitution provide the right to reproductive freedom, defined as "the right to make and carry out decisions about all matters relating to reproductive health care, including but not limited to prenatal care, childbirth, postpartum care, birth control, abortion care, miscarriage care, and respectful birthing conditions."
• If passed, the state legislature would be allowed to enact laws that regulate abortion after fetal viability.

Catch up quick: Minutes after the Supreme Court ruled to overturn Roe v. Wade, Republican Gov. Mike Parson and then-Attorney General Eric Schmitt filed paperwork to enact a 2019 law banning nearly all abortions.

• Missouri law currently bans abortions except in cases of medical emergencies.

• Providers who perform or induce an abortion can be charged with a felony punishable by five to 15 years in prison.
• But women who undergo abortions cannot be prosecuted, the law holds.

Go deeper:

• Abortions exceed pre-Roe numbers as telehealth access grows
• More than 171,000 people traveled out-of-state for abortions last year
• Abortion provider protections prove crucial in a post-Roe world