Speaker: Abortion rights will return to Missouri as ballot reform stalls in Senate
(The Center Square) – The GOP's leading House lawmaker warned that the state would see abortion rights restored if the Senate didn't take action on changing the Constitution.
Missouri House Speaker Dean Plocher, R-St. Louis, held his end-of-session briefing with reporters on Friday, two hours before mandatory adjournment.
"If the Senate fails to take action on (initiative petition) reform, I think the Senate should be held accountable for allowing abortion to return to Missouri," Plocher said.
he Senate didn't pass House Joint Resolution 43 or any other bills on Friday as the clock struck 6 p.m. in the capitol in Jefferson City.
The legislation would have required voters to approve changing the initiative petition process from getting a simple majority of the vote to change the state constitution to 57%. Throughout the General Assembly's five-month session, Republicans didn't state the legislation was intended to make it harder for an initiative petition to be passed restoring abortion rights to the state Constitution in the coming years. The word "abortion" wasn't mentioned during House floor debate on Wednesday when an amended version was passed and sent to the Senate.
https://www.mycouriertribune.com/news/state_news/speaker-abortion-rights-will-return-to-missouri-as-ballot-reform-stalls-in-senate/article_943b8a7d-3eee-56fd-9b61-43e632113d34.html
