Campaign to put abortion on the ballot wraps up signature collection

ST. CHARLES, Mo. (First Alert 4) - For the last three months, volunteers with Missourians for Constitutional Freedom worked to gather enough signatures to put abortion on the ballot in Missouri later this year.

On Sunday, a drive-thru signature event took place in St. Peters and volunteers canvased neighborhoods in St. Charles County in a final push.

The group needs roughly 171,000 signatures to put the question of abortion before voters. If they gather the required number by the May 5 deadline, it will likely be on the November ballot.

“This has been absolutely amazing; the outpouring of support has been incredible, and we’re feeling really positive about where the campaign is headed,” said Ashley Jaworski, a volunteer with the campaign.

The signature event also brought out protesters. Around a dozen people stood along Mid Rivers Mall Drive holding signs that read “Decline to Sign.”

Multiple anti-abortion groups, including the Missouri Catholic Conference, have urged supporters not to sign.

“We encourage all Catholics and people of goodwill to not sign any petition that would put this amendment on the ballot. The Catholic Church in Missouri will continue to provide spiritual and material support to expectant mothers and their families through our parishes and ministries, and to advocate on their behalf and on behalf of their preborn children,” read a statement from Catholic Bishops of Missouri.

Missouri has one of the strictest bans on abortion in the country. The proposed ballot amendment would give voters the choice to vote yes or no on reproductive rights.

A spokesperson for Missourian for Constitutional Freedom would not say how many signatures they collected, but they plan to turn them in before the deadline next Sunday. The campaign has raised nearly $5 million since the kick-off earlier this year.

The signatures will then go to the Secretary of State who will verify them and announce in the coming months if they met the threshold and what ballot the amendment will appear on.

Read the ballot language here: https://moconstitutionalfreedom.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Missourians-for-Constitutional-Freedom-Amendment.pdf