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Missouri voters reject Amendment 3, keeping abortion legal

Missouri voters reject Amendment 3, keeping abortion legal

Rule Changes

The measure lost about 55% to 45%, keeping the 2024 abortion-rights amendment in force. Voters also passed Amendment 6, making it harder for lawmakers to undo citizen initiatives — and Republicans say they are still looking for a way in.

5 days ago: Republicans say they will keep pursuing abortion limits

Overview

Updated 3 days ago

Missouri voters rejected a constitutional amendment on Nov. 3 that would have banned abortion and written a ban on gender-affirming care for minors into the state constitution. It lost about 55% to 45%, a wider margin than the 51.6% who approved abortion rights in 2024. On the same ballot, voters passed Amendment 6, which requires 80% support in both legislative chambers before lawmakers can change or repeal a citizen-approved measure.

Republican lawmakers say they are not done. Incoming Senate majority leader Nick Schroer said the caucus is weighing what Amendment 6 still lets them do, and Rep. Brian Seitz said he will push smaller regulations and a bill aimed at abortion pills mailed from out-of-state providers. The rules clinics actually operate under now rest with the Missouri Supreme Court, which is weighing the state's appeal of a June ruling that struck down most restrictions.

Why it matters

Missouri has now voted on abortion rights twice in two years, and opponents lost both times, even with a transgender care ban attached.

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Key Indicators

55%
Share voting against Amendment 3
Final count; the measure lost by about 10 points.
51.6%
Share approving the 2024 abortion-rights Amendment 3
The margin was 51.6% to 48.4%, about 48,000 votes from reversal.
3,220
Missourians who got abortion pills by telehealth in 2025
Figure from out-of-state providers, as reported by Missouri Independent. The number tripled between 2023 and 2025.
$26M+
Large donations to the campaign opposing Amendment 3
Donations of $5,000 or more since the start of 2026.
$6.7M
Large donations to the campaign supporting Amendment 3
Donations of $5,000 or more since the start of 2026.

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People Involved

Mike Kehoe
Mike Kehoe
Governor of Missouri
In office; his administration is appealing the June clinic-rules ruling
 Scott Fitzpatrick
Scott Fitzpatrick
Missouri State Auditor
In office
 Denny Hoskins
Denny Hoskins
Missouri Secretary of State
In office; his office will certify the Amendment 3 result
 Brian Seitz
Brian Seitz
Missouri state representative, Branson Republican
In office; planning incremental abortion regulations for the next session
MW
Michael Wolff
Former chief justice, Missouri Supreme Court
Advising the campaign against Amendment 3
MB
Margaret Baum
Chief medical officer, Planned Parenthood Great Rivers
In office; Planned Parenthood is expanding access while the clinic-rules appeal is pending
NS
Nick Schroer
Missouri state senator, St. Charles County Republican; incoming Senate majority leader
In office; becomes Senate majority leader in January
MM
Mike Moon
Missouri state senator, Ash Grove Republican
In office
 Catherine Hanaway
Catherine Hanaway
Missouri Attorney General
In office; appealing the June clinic-rules ruling

Organizations Involved

Missouri General Assembly
Missouri General Assembly
State legislature
Republican majorities in both chambers; House supermajority ended in the November election; bound by Amendment 6's 80% threshold

The legislature wrote the amendment, its original ballot summary, and the 2023 law restricting gender transition care for minors.
MS
Missouri Secretary of State
State agency
Writes ballot language and certifies results

The office drafts the summaries voters read at the polls and certifies election results.
Planned Parenthood Great Rivers
Planned Parenthood Great Rivers
Abortion and reproductive health provider
Offering abortions at five Missouri clinics; its suit over the remaining clinic rules is before the Missouri Supreme Court

The Planned Parenthood affiliate that provides abortions in Missouri and is challenging state regulations in court.

Timeline

June 2022 November 2026

8 events Latest: 5 days ago
Tap a bar to jump to that date

  1. Republicans say they will keep pursuing abortion limits

    Latest Announcement

    Incoming Senate majority leader Nick Schroer said the caucus is examining what Amendment 6 still permits, and Rep. Brian Seitz said he will push incremental regulations and a bill targeting abortion pills mailed from out of state.

  2. Planned Parenthood turns to expanding access

    Announcement

    With the election over, the group said it would work on making abortion easier to reach at its five Missouri clinics. It is still in court challenging the state's remaining restrictions.

  3. Voters reject Amendment 3

    Election

    The measure lost about 55% to 45%, keeping abortion legal through fetal viability.

  4. Voters approve Amendment 6

    Election

    The measure requires 80% support in both chambers before lawmakers can change or repeal citizen-approved initiatives, and bars them from reviving laws voters rejected.

  5. Appeals court rewrites the ballot summary

    Legal

    The final wording leads with repeal of the 2024 abortion-rights amendment.

  6. Voters approve abortion-rights Amendment 3

    Election

    The 51.6% to 48.4% vote lifted one of the country's strictest abortion bans.

  7. Missouri restricts gender transition care for minors

    Law

    State law bans transition surgery and new hormone prescriptions for minors.

  8. Supreme Court ends federal abortion protection

    Legal

    The decision returned abortion law to the states, setting up state-by-state fights.

Scenarios

1

Courts strike down more Missouri abortion regulations

Likely Resolves by Q2 2027

Discussed by: Missouri Independent, which reported on Jackson County Circuit Judge Jerri Zhang's summer rulings

The 2024 amendment has already been used to void a 72-hour waiting period, special licensing rules and hospital admitting privileges. More challenges are pending, and each ruling widens what clinics can offer.

2

Legislature refers another abortion measure to the 2028 ballot

Possible Resolves by Nov 7, 2028

Discussed by: Missouri Independent, reporting on Republican leaders' plans after the loss

Republicans have put an abortion measure before voters twice and lost both times. After the Nov. 3 defeat, incoming Senate majority leader Nick Schroer said lawyers are still examining what Amendment 6 allows, and Rep. Brian Seitz said he prefers smaller regulations to another constitutional amendment.

3

No new statewide abortion measure reaches Missouri voters before 2028

Likely Resolves by Nov 7, 2028

Discussed by: Election results and the size of the defeat reported by the St. Louis American

A roughly 12-point loss, larger than the 2024 margin, gives lawmakers little reason to try again soon. The next regular statewide election with ballot measures is 2028, leaving a gap for court fights and clinic expansion.

4

Planned Parenthood wins wider latitude at Missouri clinics

Possible Resolves by End of 2027

Discussed by: Planned Parenthood Great Rivers and the ACLU of Missouri, which are fighting the state's appeal

Jackson County Circuit Judge Jerri Zhang struck down most of about 40 challenged regulations in a June ruling, including the 72-hour waiting period and hospital admitting-privilege rules. The state appealed to the Missouri Supreme Court, which has not announced a decision date.

5

Missouri lawmakers pass a fetal personhood bill

Unlikely Resolves by May 31, 2027

Discussed by: State Sen. Mike Moon, in reporting by Missouri Independent

Moon, an Ash Grove Republican, has floated legislation granting legal personhood to fetuses, which would set up another court fight over abortion. Such a law could not itself override the state constitution, and any new restriction faces the 80% threshold Amendment 6 created.

Historical Context

2 moments from history that rhyme with this story — and how they unfolded.

August 2022

Kansas 'Value Them Both' referendum (2022)

Six weeks after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, Kansas voters were asked to remove abortion protections from the state constitution. The amendment failed 59% to 41%, with unusually high turnout for a primary.

Then

Kansas kept legal abortion and became a regional destination for patients from neighboring states.

Now

The result showed that direct votes on abortion bans could lose even in Republican-leaning states, and it became the template for post-Roe ballot fights.

Why this matters now

Missouri's two votes follow the same pattern: when voters are asked directly, abortion restrictions have lost.

August and November 2023

Ohio Issue 1 votes (2023)

Ohio Republicans placed a measure on the August ballot to raise the threshold for passing constitutional amendments to 60%. Voters rejected it about 57% to 43%. Three months later, an abortion-rights amendment passed by a similar margin.

Then

The threshold change failed and the abortion-rights amendment took effect.

Now

The episode showed that voters punish attempts to change the rules to block a specific policy, and it previewed the procedural fights over ballot wording.

Why this matters now

Missouri's fight over a misleading ballot summary, rewritten twice by courts, mirrors Ohio's argument over whether voters knew what they were deciding.

Sources

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NPR Associated Press ProPublica St. Louis American Missouri Independent Reproductive Freedom for All Ballotpedia The 19th KCUR KFF Health News The Guardian Medical Daily ProPublica Missouri Independent