Missouri Abortion Ballot Initiative In Jeopardy After Judge Rules It Is Invalid
A circuit court judge ruled Amendment 3 is "insufficient" and a “blatant violation” of requirements because it did not adequately state which laws would be affected. Meanwhile, police in Florida are on the hunt for petition fraud over that state's abortion rights ballot measure.
The Washington Post:
Missouri Abortion Rights Measure Is Invalid, Judge Says Days Before Deadline
A Missouri judge ruled that an abortion ballot measure is invalid because it did not properly note which laws it would repeal, potentially restricting it from reaching a November vote. Cole County Circuit Judge Christopher Limbaugh said the measure’s proponents did not sufficiently inform voters who signed petitions for the proposed amendment of its ramifications, echoing arguments made in a legal challenge by antiabortion advocates. (Rosnzweig-Ziff, 9/9)
Tampa Bay Times:
DeSantis’ Election Police Questioned People Who Signed Abortion Petitions
Isaac Menasche remembers being at the Cape Coral farmer’s market last year when someone asked him if he’d sign a petition to get Florida’s abortion amendment on the ballot. He said yes — and he told a law enforcement officer as much when one showed up at the door of his Lee County home earlier this week. Menasche said he was surprised when the plainclothes officer twice asked if it was really Menasche who had signed the petition. The officer said he was looking into potential petition fraud. (Ellenbogen, Garcia and Mower, 9/6)
The Wall Street Journal:
Abortion Rights Are On The Ballot In Arizona. Will It Impact The Presidential Race?
There is little from the outside to indicate that Camelback Family Planning is Arizona’s busiest abortion clinic. It is just another office in another strip mall, with the occasional antiabortion protester outside. Dr. Gabrielle Goodrick says the clinic she owns is like any other medical office, and she tries to keep it nonpolitical. But there is one room with walls and cupboards covered with thank-you notes. Many are from medical residents who have received training at Camelback. Some are from patients, who Goodrick says come from across the political spectrum. And on one wall, there is a voter registration placard with a QR code. Now, Goodrick said, speaking up in the debate over abortion rights is part of her job. (Vielkind and Zambelich, 9/8)
In other news about maternal health —
Wyoming Public Radio:
Interim Committee Comes Up With No Solution For Legislation On Maternal Health Deserts
A legislative committee dedicated itself to the maternal healthcare desert in Wyoming this interim. During its last meeting before next year’s legislative session, it came up dry, with no specific solutions. The Labor, Health and Social Services Committee’s top subject during this interim was how to increase the number of labor and delivery and maternity health care professionals in the state. This, after the state lost three labor and delivery units over the past six years. (Kudelska, 9/6)
Axios:
Complications In Pregnancy Jumped During Pandemic
Giving birth became measurably riskier during the pandemic, as factors causing complications — from obesity and diabetes to mental health issues — rose 20% between 2020 and 2023, according to a FAIR Health analysis shared first with Axios. The findings, gleaned from a database of roughly 47 billion commercial insurance claims, bring into better focus the COVID-era spike in pregnancy complications that not only contributed to the maternal mortality crisis but also drove up health costs. (Reed, 9/9)
