Missouri voters rejected a proposed constitutional amendment, known as Amendment 3, that would have effectively re-imposed a ban on abortion and also restricted gender-affirming care for minors, according to race calls by the Associated Press. The measure’s defeat reaffirms a 2024 vote enshrining abortion rights in the state constitution. Amendment 3 was put on the ballot by the Republican-led legislature as an attempt to overturn the previous abortion rights initiative, and it coupled the abortion ban with a prohibition on puberty blockers, hormone therapy, and gender-affirming surgery for minors, a ban already in effect by statute.
Governor Mike Kehoe, whose wife served as treasurer of the campaign supporting Amendment 3, suggested that voters may have been confused by the 2024 abortion rights vote, stating, “For years, I’ve had people tell me they didn’t understand what they were voting on then.” He also defended the inclusion of the ban on gender-affirming care, asserting voters were clear on what they were voting for. When asked if combining the two issues might confuse voters, Kehoe demurred, saying, “They’re voting on both of those, and I think that’s what’s clear.”
Opponents of Amendment 3 significantly outspent its supporters, raising over $26 million compared to approximately $6.7 million. State Representative Elizabeth Fuchs, a Democrat, argued that the addition of the gender-affirming care ban was a strategic move to appeal to voters after the previous failure on abortion rights. Amendment 3 supporters framed the measure as a moderate compromise, including exceptions for medical emergencies, fetal anomalies, and rape or incest through 12 weeks of pregnancy, but legal experts warned that these exceptions may not be meaningfully accessible.
In a separate ballot measure, Amendment 6, which would make it harder for legislators to reverse citizen-initiated ballot initiatives, was on its way to passing with 60 percent of the vote. This came despite Governor Kehoe’s condemnation of the measure, stating, “I believe is an insult to Missourians,” and expressing trust in the voters’ judgment. Republican state Auditor Scott Fitzpatrick suggested the abortion issue was a closer contest than the transgender care ban, which he believed had around 80 percent support among voters.
Our reading is that the defeat of Amendment 3 suggests Missouri voters are resistant to attempts to overturn established abortion rights, despite efforts to link the issue to other politically charged topics. The significant financial disparity between the opposing campaigns, coupled with the Governor’s suggestion of voter confusion, indicates a strategic miscalculation by Amendment 3 supporters. The concurrent passage of Amendment 6 further demonstrates a desire among Missouri voters to protect citizen-led initiatives from legislative interference.
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