Missouri voters reject anti-abortion rights amendment, reaffirming ‘reproductive freedom’
Voters in Missouri rejected an anti-abortion rights measure on the ballot that would have prohibited abortions, with some exceptions, and undone the “right to reproductive freedom” that voters had previously enshrined two years ago.
The failed amendment, led by anti-abortion rights PAC Her Health and Her Future, would have allowed state lawmakers to enact legislation to regulate abortions and access to care, according to the Guttmacher Institute.
The measure voters rejected would have allowed abortions in cases of medical emergencies, fetal anomalies, rape or incest. In cases of rape or incest, abortion would have only been allowed up to 12 weeks gestation.
Under the failed amendment, minors seeking abortion would have needed the consent of a parent or guardian, according to the Guttmacher Institute.
The failed amendment would have also enacted constitutional restrictions on gender-affirming care for minors.
Since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022, ending federal protections for access to abortion, 13 states have ceased nearly all abortion services and four states have a six-week ban on the books, according to an ABC News tally.
After the overturning of Roe, Missouri enacted a trigger ban, prohibiting most abortions in the state.
In 2024, Missouri voters approved an amendment that enshrined the “right to reproductive freedom” in the state constitution with about 52% of the vote, prohibiting the government from denying or infringing on anyone’s right to reproductive freedom.
The 2024 ballot initiative allowed for the overturning of Missouri’s total ban on abortion through a subsequent court decision, allowing abortions to resume in 2025, according to the Guttmacher Institute.
According to the Guttmacher Institute, 3,550 abortions were provided by clinicians in Missouri in 2025, a 53.5% increase from 2024.
Due to the restrictions prior to the court decision that allowed abortions to resume in the state, more than 11,600 people traveled out of Missouri for abortion care in 2025, according to the Guttmacher Institute.
Reproductive Freedom for All said it invested six figures in its effort to defeat the 2026 ballot initiative and protect reproductive freedom.
“Missouri Republicans tried to overturn the will of voters, but Missourians fought back and chose reproductive freedom for the third time in two years. Missouri voters have made their voices clear and rejected anti-democratic attempts to take away their power,” Reproductive Freedom for All President and CEO Mini Timmaraju said in a statement late Tuesday.
State Sen. Adam Schnelting, who sponsored the proposal that led to Amendment 3 being placed on this year’s ballot, told ABC News last month that passing the amendment is “critical to protecting women and children and providing Missourians with a measure that is more in line with their values than the one narrowly passed two years ago.”
Schnelting did not immediately respond to ABC News’ request for comment on the election results.
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