JEFFERSON CITY — Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft said Thursday he had rejected two proposed referendums on the state's new abortion law, a setback for abortion rights proponents seeking to place a measure on the 2020 ballot.

Within hours, the ACLU of Missouri, which filed one of the petitions, said it had filed a lawsuit in Cole County Circuit Court asking for a temporary restraining order and injunction barring the secretary of state's action.

Ashcroft, a Republican, said he could not allow the petitions to move forward because part of the law took effect immediately after Gov. Mike Parson signed it last month.

The provision banning most abortions at eight weeks of pregnancy takes effect on Aug. 28, but a lesser-known provision that requires two-parent notification for minors seeking an abortion took effect last month.

The Republican-led Legislature tacked on what is known as an "emergency clause" to the two-parent notification requirement — the reason that provision took effect immediately.

"Because of that declaration by the Legislature, and because of the responsibility of the Secretary of State's office to follow Missouri Supreme Court precedent, and the Constitution, we have no other avenue but to reject Referendum 1 and Referendum 2," Ashcroft said.