absentee voters listen to this article 234 men learn more share full article Missouri Supreme Court Justices take the bench to hear a case questioning whether an amendment to overturn the state's abortion ban will remain on the November ballot in Jefferson City MO on tuesday. credit. do dopo photo by Robert Cohen Kate zernik by Kate zernik sept 10 2024 3:27 p.m. ET the Missouri Supreme Court rejected a bid on Tuesday to throw out a question on the ballot in November that will ask voters whether to establish a right to abortion in the state constitution the seven member Court handed down a one-page ruling Less Than 3 hours before the state's deadline for printing ballots for absentee voters capping a furious few days of legal Maneuvers as anti-abortion groups and state Republicans made a last ditch effort to stop the ballot Amendment the measure is one of 10 instates across the country that would establish protections for abortion like those that were identified in the Federal Constitution in Roi Wade which the United States Supreme Court overturned in June 2022 in the two years since that reversal abortion rights groups have prevailed in seven abortion related ballet measures across the country including in conservative leaning States like Kansas and Ohio in Missouri they collected more than 38,1 159 signatures on petitions to place the measure on the ballot a record for any initiative in the state and more than twice the number required with the Court's reversal of row motivating Democrats to the polls anti-abortion groups and Republicans have fought to stop the measures from appearing ing before voters the Arizona Supreme Court last month rejected a bid to strike the question from the ballot there Nebraska's Supreme Court heard arguments on Monday on a similar bid and a trial seeking to strike the measure in South Dakota is scheduled for late this month Charles Hatfield a lawyer for the abortion rights groups suggested in court Tuesday morning that the justices were deciding about more than just abortion this is a big deal he said the court will send a message today about whether in our little corner of the Democracy the government will honor the will of the people or will have it snatched way anti-abortion groups had tried to block the measure by arguing that proponents of the ballot measure had failed to meet constitutional requirements that the people who sign ballot measure petitions be fully informed of the proposal's legal ramifications these requirements protect voters their lawyer Mary Katherine Martin of the Thomas Moore Society told the seven justices they do not burden the state of Missouri's voters they require them to be fully informed in order to properly exercise their right under the initiative process