Bench trial set to begin over fair wording on November ballot over abortion Wednesday

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)

A bench trial is scheduled Wednesday over fair wording on the ballot for Amendment 3 regarding abortion.

The ballot question asks voters if they want to legalize abortion up to fetal viability. Abortion rights advocates filed a lawsuit against the Secretary of State's office for the wording it chose for the ballot.

In August, the Secretary of State's Office certified abortion to be on the November ballot, but abortion-rights advocates say the wording on the ballot is argumentative and confusing for voters.

From the Secretary of State's website, the language reads:

"A 'yes' vote will enshrine the right to abortion at any time of a pregnancy in the Missouri Constitution. Additionally, it will prohibit any regulation of abortion, including regulations designed to protect women undergoing abortions and prohibit any civil or criminal recourse against anyone who performs an abortion and hurts or kills the pregnant women."

Abortion-rights advocates are asking the court to provide a new fair ballot language so that Secretary of State, Jay Ashcroft can remove the current language from the government website.

This is not the first time a lawsuit has been filed due to ballot language. The previous ballot summary written asked Missourians if they wanted to "allow for dangerous, unregulated and unrestricted abortions from censeptions to live birth."

A Missouri judge ruled that the language was problematic and inaccurate.

The bench trial hearing will be at 3 p.m. Wednesday at the Cole County Courthouse.