Missouri Right to Life

Working on a tight deadline, advocates collected signatures from around the state supporting a vote to restore the right to abortions, which are now banned in Missouri except for medical emergencies.

Ballot initiatives are one way for voters to assert their power over the political whims of Missouri's state legislature or courts. They are often viewed as more stable and harder to undo.

Backers of the abortion legalization initiative need roughly 171,000 signatures by early May to make it onto the Missouri ballot. But even with a large amount of cash and enthusiasm, the campaign has a big barrier: Republicans in the Missouri General Assembly could make ballot measures much more difficult to pass.

Missouri Republicans say they plan to introduce more restrictive abortion legislation modeled on a Texas law that took effect this week. Abortion rights activists are gearing up for a tough battle in the Republican-controlled legislature.