Voters in Missouri will decide in November whether to legalize abortion and sports betting
ST. LOUIS (First Alert 4) – In the November election, Missourians will vote on whether to repeal Missouri’s abortion ban and legalize sports betting.
This comes after Missouri’s Secretary of State on Tuesday approved three ballot issues for the November ballot.
“It’s our body, how can you tell me what I can do with my body?” said Missouri voter Wanda Miller.
Miller said she personally opposes abortion with few exceptions, but wants the government not to get involved in decisions about women’s health care. She and the rest of Missouri voters will decide in November whether to enshrine abortion rights in the state constitution.
“The right to make decisions about one’s own body is fundamental and transcends state lines,” said Dr. Shelina Sandoval, a Kansas City-based gynecologist and abortion rights advocate.
At a press conference on the constitutional amendment on Tuesday, supporters said they were ready to convey their message to voters.
The amendment’s fine print would ban abortions at fetal viability. That means abortions would be banned if the fetus could survive outside the womb, which is usually about 24 weeks.
However, there are exceptions, such as when the mother’s life is in danger or when her physical or mental health is at risk; in this case, an abortion can be carried out even after proof of the viability of the fetus.
“From our perspective, there is a huge loophole in the law when there is talk of a mental health exemption. How do you enforce it, how do you challenge it?” says Jamie Morris, executive director and legal counsel for the Missouri Catholic Conference.
Morris is strongly opposed to the change. He believes that it could ultimately be up to the courts to decide when these exceptions are granted.
“Perhaps they don’t realize how extreme this is. This wording could mean that abortions are possible even in the third trimester,” says Morris.
Voters will also decide whether to legalize sports betting. The petition was funded by sports betting giants FanDuel and DraftKings, who together contributed over $6 million.
If the popular initiative, which is to be included in the constitution, is passed, sports betting would be taxed at 10%. By comparison, Illinois is taxed at up to 40% – four times more than in Missouri.
These tax dollars are used for education in Missouri.
Sports betting lobbyist Brendan Bussmann said bookmakers currently earn only about eight cents on the dollar.
“That dollar is becoming increasingly scarce to be able to reinvest in your product, your technology and your players,” said Bussmann.
He believes that a higher tax rate, such as in Illinois, hurts players.
“This harms innovation, harms reinvestment in the players, harms reinvestment in the market and in the end you get a lower quality product,” said Bussmann.
These sports betting taxes in the state of Illinois, which range from 20 to 40% depending on the size of the sportsbook, will take effect in January 2025.
DraftKings initially responded to the tax plan by announcing that it would tax players themselves when they win, but the opposition was so fierce that they withdrew the plan on Tuesday.
A June poll by Emerson College found that sports betting could narrowly win voters’ favor: Voters approved the change by a 38-35 margin.
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