Missourians will have the opportunity to vote in November on whether to enshrine abortion rights in the state constitution after state officials certified signatures on a ballot initiative this week.

Following the U.S. Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision in June 2022, which overturned Roe v. Wade’s protections, Missouri became the first U.S. state to ban abortion under almost all circumstances. A state trigger law went into effect within hours of the decision, shutting down abortion services in the state.

Emily Wales, executive director of Planned Parenthood Great Plains and its advocacy group Planned Parenthood Great Plains Votes, says that while the November ballot bill campaign will be tough, she is confident Missourians will ultimately support abortion rights — as many other states, including Kansas, have already done.

“We’ve seen it in Kansas where we participated as Planned Parenthood Great Plains, but we’ve also seen it in Kentucky and Michigan, Ohio. We learn every time that it’s not a partisan issue,” Wales told KCUR’s Up To Date.

“People are desperate to get their rights back, but we also have a lot of work to do here at home. We are raising more money than ever before.”