Missourians vote to pass Amendment 3, enshrining abortion rights into the state constitution

ST. LOUIS, Mo. (First Alert 4) - Missourians voted to enshrine reproductive health rights into the state’s constitution Tuesday by voting yes on Amendment 3.

With the passage of Amendment 3, the right for people to make decisions about their reproductive health, including the right to abortion and contraceptives, will be enshrined in the state’s constitution.

After the amendment passed, Phyllis Langsdorf, President of the National Council of Jewish Women St. Louis, released the following statement:

“Missouri voters have joined together across party lines and regional divides to send a clear message to politicians in Jefferson City–and across the country–that they have no place in women’s private healthcare decisions, and that the health and well-being of women and families are more important than extreme agendas and special interests. The overwhelming success of Amendment 3 and Proposition A will ensure a safer and healthier future for all Missourians.”

SBA Pro-Life America also released a statement after the passage:

“We mourn the lives that will be lost under Amendment 3,” said SBA Pro-Life Director of State Affairs Sue Liebel. “Missouri is now far less free with a late-term abortion amendment in the constitution that will enable the ACLU and abortion industry to strip Missourians of parental consent and force them to pay for abortions. The disappointing results are a reminder that human rights battles are not won overnight. Throughout history, great injustices have taken time and persistence to rectify. We must persevere in working to undo the abortion industry’s 50-year political monopoly and the deeply rooted lies abortion activists have sown to legitimize taking the lives of more than 60 million babies in the womb.

“We’re thankful for the bold voices and tireless efforts of pro-life advocates in Missouri. Their dedication to serving Missouri women and saving children was on full display. They labored in love to save their state from this terrible outcome, spending countless hours sharing the truth about the ACLU’s radical amendment. Our hearts go out to the babies, women and parents in Missouri whose rights have been stripped away by this radical measure.”

In June 2022, with the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade, Missouri outlawed abortions, with the only exception being saving the mother’s life. This ban made it a class B felony for any person who performed or induced an abortion.

The road to getting and keeping Amendment 3 on the Missouri ballot was a rocky one, with opponents of the measure, which included Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey, filing lawsuits to try to get the measure removed from the ballot.

On Sept. 10, in a last-minute appeal heard on the last day the ballot measure could be litigated in court before ballots had to be prepared for early voters, Missouri’s highest court ruled that the ballot measure should go before voters.

Nine other states also cast votes to potentially enshrine abortion rights into their state constitutions. Those states include Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Maryland, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada and South Dakota.

In Missouri, all constitutional amendments passed by voters go into effect 30 days after election day.