Missouri Judge Halts GOP Standoff on Abortion Rights Ballot Measure

A Missouri judge has ordered Attorney General Andrew Bailey to approve Republican Auditor Scott Fitzpatrick's estimated $51,000 price tag on a proposed constitutional amendment to restore abortion rights in the state. Bailey had refused to approve the estimate, arguing that it could cost the state much more in lost Medicaid funding or revenue. If approved by voters, the proposal would enshrine in the constitution the individual right to make decisions about abortion, childbirth, and birth control. The Republican-led Legislature and governor had banned nearly all abortions after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade last summer.