Ryan Shiner
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
Republican Gov. Mike Kehoe announced on Thursday that he signed a bill into law that could lead to a challenge of a voter-passed amendment to the Missouri Constitution on abortion.
Kehoe signed Senate Bill 22 into law, which allows the state’s attorney general to appeal any preliminary injunctions issued before Aug. 28.
A preliminary injunction in Jackson County allowed abortion access to open back up in the state after voters approved Amendment 3 in November. Amendment 3 had overturned Missouri’s near-total abortion ban.
Attorney General Andrew Bailey called the signing “a win for checks and balances.” The attorney general’s office did not immediately respond when asked when he might appeal the Jackson County judge’s injunction.
An emergency clause approved by the House allowed the provision to take effect immediately after the bill was signed.
A statement from a spokesperson from Bailey’s office indicated that the attorney general has already filed an appeal.
“Today, Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey filed a notice of appeal challenging the Court’s decision to strike down common-sense health and safety standards. The women of Missouri deserve basic health and safety standards that safeguard their health and lives. AG Bailey is fighting to defend these standards and uphold the rule of law,” a statement provided by email from Deputy Press Secretary Abigail Bergmann says.
The bill also allows the Secretary of State to write three revised ballot summaries if a judge finds them lacking, which was also a point of contention in the battle over abortion this past fall. Progressive groups have slammed lawmakers for the bill, which they said would allow partisan politicians the chance to rewrite ballot language even if judges find it misleading.
The law has sparked fierce opposition among progressive and reproductive rights groups.
Progress Missouri, a progressive communications hub, joined a coalition of 700 individuals and organizations in urging Kehoe not to sign the bill.
“Senate Bill 22 is actually a power grab by the Missouri legislature and other partisan politicians,” said Claire Cook-Callen, who is the executive director of Progress Missouri. “It actually destroys checks and balances, allowing for courts to work directly with the secretary of state and partisan politicians to write ballot language and summaries that are intentionally deceiving voters and lying to them about the true intent of what is part of ballot measures.”
M’Evie Mead, Director of Strategic Partnerships at Missouri Jobs With Justice, said her organization also signed the coalition letter opposing SB22.
“We sent a letter to Governor Kehoe last week laying out all of the reasons why we shouldn’t increase politicians’ power or encourage them to lie to voters, which is what this bill he just signed did. And over 600 Missourians from across the state really quickly signed on to that letter and we got zero response from the governor,” Mead said.
“We’re the Show Me State. We showed our politicians in Jefferson City what we want and the current batch of politicians in Jefferson City right now in 2025 are so unhappy with the will of the voters that they’re willing not just to try and overturn it, but to rig the process, change the rules, let themselves lie to voters when it comes to what appears on their ballot, everyone should be able to have fair, balanced information,” she said.
“We have an existing system and it’s working. It’s working for the people of Missouri. Just who it’s not working for are the politicians in Jefferson City who are beholden to big money, corporate interests, other folks who don’t want to listen to the majority of Missourians.”
The ACLU of Missouri, Comprehensive Health of Planned Parenthood Great Plains, and Planned Parenthood Great Rivers issued a joint statement following the bill’s signing:
“A majority of Missouri voters passed Amendment 3 to end Missouri’s abortion ban and protect reproductive freedom. Rather than following the will of the people, the same anti-abortion politicians that fought against Amendment 3 and lost at the ballot box have changed the rules of both the initiative petition and the court procedures so they can try to reinstate Missouri’s abortion ban. Patients deserve more access to health care, not less. We will fight these attacks on our fundamental rights to ensure all Missourians continue to have access to abortion and the reproductive care they need.”
SB 22 will also impact the initiative petition process, which was used to legalize medicinal and recreational marijuana, expand Medicaid in Missouri and get abortion access on the ballot.
“These are things that we’ve been going to Jefferson City and talking to our legislators about for decades, but they’ve refused to act. So Missourians took it upon themselves to collect this signature and put these policies on the ballot,” Cook-Callen said. “But the legislature doesn’t like that. They want to stop us from using our voices.”
The new law clarifies that signature collection for initiative petitions may begin once the secretary of state certifies the official ballot title, even if the title is being challenged in court. If the court later modifies the title, signatures already gathered remain valid so long as they were otherwise collected legally.
Critics say the changes amount to a coordinated effort by lawmakers to weaken the power of Missouri voters.
“These are things that we’ve been going to Jefferson City and talking to our legislators about for decades, but they’ve refused to act. So Missourians took it upon themselves to collect this signature and put these policies on the ballot,” Cook-Callen said. “But the legislature doesn’t like that. They want to stop us from using our voices. So they keep trying to change the initiative, petition process, and use other pieces and other mechanisms to make it harder for us to put things on the ballot as regular citizens as well as to have our voice heard.”
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