Jay Ashcroft seeks to pull abortion amendment off Missouri ballot weeks after approving it

Missouri Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft joined the Midwest March for Life on May 1 at the Missouri State Capitol. “I think regardless of what the legislature does, the people of this state – with hard work – can protect all life in this state,” Ashcroft said (Anna Spoerre/Missouri Independent).

Missouri Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft decertified a ballot measure that would legalize abortion, a move aimed at blocking it from appearing on the November ballot, according to a brief filed Monday with the state Supreme Court.

Last month, Ashcroft announced the reproductive-rights proposal would appear on the ballot as Amendment 3 . But a Cole County judge on Friday ruled the amendment violated state law and shouldn’t have been certified.

That ruling is now before the Missouri Supreme Court, with a hearing scheduled Tuesday morning and a ruling expected quickly thereafter. The deadline to remove a question from the ballot is also Tuesday.

But before the Supreme Court had the chance to weigh in, Ashcroft said he had changed his mind.

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