Margaret Korte
Print/Podcast Editor
Missourians voted, “Yes,” on Amendment 3: a reversal on the state’s abortion ban and a constitutional right to reproductive freedoms.
The amendment guarantees citizens the right to make decisions about their own reproductive health, only banning abortions after fetal viability, the stage in which a fetus could survive outside of the womb.
This outcome makes Missouri one of the first to overturn an abortion ban through vote, and the amendment will be effective starting Dec. 5. It’s a huge step towards securing reproductive rights—but it’s not over yet.
The amendment was added to the ballot through petition, started by the Missourians for Constitutional Freedom, and there was backlash from the beginning. Before the election, lawmakers attempted, including filing four lawsuits, to keep the amendment off the ballot and alter the system to keep Amendment 3 from being voted on.
Missouri has a history of being largely pro-life: it was the first state to make abortion illegal after Roe v. Wade was overturned in 2022, and many of its top lawmakers have taken anti-abortion stances. Missouri’s current abortion policy is a ban in all cases, excluding medical emergencies, but no exceptions for rape or incest. The state also operates under TRAP (Targeted Restrictions on Abortion Providers) laws.
These and other pro-life laws will have to be challenged in court before the amendment can override them, which Missourians for Constitutional Freedom plan to fight for “soon.” Less than 24 hours after the amendment was passed, Planned Parenthood filed a lawsuit against some of Missouri’s restrictive abortion laws.
However, the passage of the amendment did not eliminate its critics, or those who have tried to invalidate it. Many of these are lawmakers or government officials, who speak against the choice voters have made.
Missouri Senator Mary Elizabeth Coleman posted on social media that she would “do everything in my power” to make sure abortion will be on the ballot again: “This won’t be the last time Missourians vote on so-called ‘reproductive rights.’” This discredits the decision Missouri made and voted for.
Attorney General Andrew Bailey will be the one to interpret the language of the amendment and could sway its meaning to align more closely with conservative ideas.
In addition to Missouri’s largely anti-abortion government, the federal government will be largely Republican come January. While President-elect Donald Trump has expressed differing stances on abortion (saying he wouldn’t sign a ban, while at other times saying he would support one), it is likely that a Trump administration wouldn’t be extremely pro-choice.
Trump appointed the Supreme Court judges who overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022, a fact he has bragged about before. His vice president, JD Vance, has said he would be in support of limiting abortion access across the country.
Therefore, while the amendment has been passed, it by no means guarantees reproductive rights—at least, not yet. Many lawmakers and government officials, as well as anti-abortion activists, are still fighting to keep abortions from being performed and to silence the decision the state has voted on.
The passage of Amendment 3 is not the end of the journey, but rather a step in the right direction. Missourians have spoken; they want their reproductive rights: but in a state whose government disagrees with its people, they are going to have to be the ones to make sure the amendment is put into effect. Missourians can’t simply sit back and expect their government to accurately represent their vote. They will have to be a part of the process, making sure their voices are heard.
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Margaret Korte–Print/Podcast EditorThis will be Margaret Korte’s second year on ECHO staff. She made several contributions while taking journalism class her freshman year. |
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