Missouri Voters Reject Amendment 3, Keeping Abortion Rights Approved in 2024
The measure would have repealed the 2024 abortion-rights amendment and written a ban on gender transition care for minors into the constitution.
Missouri voters on Tuesday defeated Amendment 3, a Republican-backed measure that would have reversed the abortion-rights amendment voters approved two years ago, according to the Associated Press, NPR and the Missouri Independent.
The result
The measure failed with about 55 percent voting no and about 45 percent voting yes, according to reported results. That was roughly 1.17 million votes against and 941,000 in favor.
As a result, the constitutional amendment adopted in 2024 remains in place. Abortion stays legal in Missouri up to fetal viability.
What the measure would have done
According to the official ballot language, a yes vote would have repealed the 2024 amendment. It would then have allowed abortion only in medical emergencies, for fetal anomalies, and in cases of rape or incest before 12 weeks of pregnancy.
The measure would also have added a ban on gender transition procedures for minors to the state constitution. That provision failed along with the rest of the amendment, NPR reported.
The campaign
The Republican-led Legislature placed the measure on the ballot. Opponents held a large financial advantage, raising more than $26 million in large donations this year compared with about $6.7 million for supporters, according to Just the News.
Republican Gov. Mike Kehoe campaigned for the amendment the day before the election and said its defeat would be a sad day for Missouri.
Part of a broader pattern
Missouri was one of several states with abortion questions on the ballot. Virginia voters approved an amendment adding reproductive rights to the state constitution with about 62 percent support, according to the AP and Virginia Public Media.
Since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022, abortion-rights supporters have won most statewide ballot measures on the issue, including in several states that lean Republican.
What comes next
Legal disputes over how the 2024 amendment applies to existing state laws are continuing in Missouri courts. Tuesday’s vote means those cases will proceed under the current constitutional language.
Supporters of the repeal effort did not say immediately whether they would try again in a future election.
Sources: Associated Press, U.S. Supreme Court.
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