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Detransitioner Chloe Cole, gender clinic whistleblower headline rally for Missouri Amendment 3
A rally and press conference were held in Missouri on Tuesday to support the state's Amendment 3, which will appear on the November 3 state ballot.
A rally was held on Tuesday in Missouri to inform voters about Amendment 3, which would repeal a previous ballot measure that made abortion a state constitutional right.
Amendment 3 would protect most preborn children from abortion and restore safety protections for pregnant women facing medical issues.
It would also ensure parental notification for abortions on minors and protect minors from so-called gender transition procedures such as cross-sex hormones, sex-change surgeries, and puberty blockers for minors under age 18.
On November 3, Missouri voters will vote on a constitutional measure that would ensure protections for miscarriage care, ectopic pregnancy treatment, and emergency care for women, and protect most preborn children from abortion.
Amendment 3 would also protect minors from so-called gender transition procedures. If passed, it would place a state constitutional ban on cross-sex hormones, sex-change surgeries, and puberty blockers for anyone under the age of 18. It would also allow families to sue medical professionals who carry out these procedures on minors.
According to the official ballot language, the amendment would impact abortion in the following ways:
Repeal the 2024 abortion amendment, removing the state constitutional "right" to abortion through viability.
Allow the legislature to regulate abortion once again.
Ensure parental consent before a minor obtains an abortion.
Permit abortion only in limited circumstances the state describes as medical emergencies, fetal anomalies, and rape or incest during the first 12 weeks.
Restore state-described health and safety standards for abortion businesses.
Every child deserves protection of the law, but, as explained by Live Action's Director of Government Affairs, Mark Wiltz, the choice is not between this amendment and a perfect pro-life law; it is between this amendment and a state constitution that considers every abortion a right.
Polling on the amendment has shown there is a good amount of support behind it. Coalition for Life Founder and Executive Director Brian Westbrook told Live Action News that internal polling shows 51% of voters are in favor of the amendment and 45% are against. The Catholic Archdiocese and all of the Catholic bishops in the state support Amendment 3, and the Baptist Convention voted last week to unanimously support it.
"In 2024," he said, "There was a black and white decision: no abortions or all abortions. Since then there has been a lot of noise and a lot of discussion about the lawsuits Planned Parenthood filed that removed all of the safety regulations regarding abortion in Missouri, so there are a lot of people upset about that. .. This amendment is not the same. It's not black and white no abortion or all abortions. It says, for those who think there should be exceptions, there are exceptions... It's going to grab the attention of people in the middle on abortion."
Westbrook explained that if passed, Amendment 3 will put Missouri in a better position than it was in prior to the fall of Roe v. Wade in June 2022. Abortion was legal through viability, but because of safety regulations, Planned Parenthood had essentially left the state. The day after the Supreme Court overturned Roe, a trigger law took effect in Missouri, allowing preborn babies to be protected from abortion.
"Planned Parenthood just gave up on Missouri," he said. "They simply didn't want to comply with common sense safety measures. They could go 20 minutes to the east or west and operate across the state border. Why would they bother with Missouri?"
Now, regulations on abortion in Missouri have been stripped. Amendment 3 would put them back in place, including required handwashing stations, medical malpractice insurance, informed consent, and parental notification. Prior to the fall of Roe, Planned Parenthood had left Missouri and was committing the majority of abortions out of state. So while some pro-lifers might be bothered by Amendment 3 including exceptions for abortion, Westbrook notes, "Is Planned Parenthood going to keep abortionists in Missouri if they can only do it for exceptions and with all of the regulations? They have never wanted to comply with these. We can save the babies who are the exceptions because Planned Parenthood doesn't want to bother with just a handful of abortions in the state. They'd rather just send their abortionists across the state line."
The pro-life event held on Tuesday was a partnership between Missouri Right to Life; Coalition Life; Her Health, Her Future; and other groups.
It featured Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway, former Co-Deputy Director of the FBI and former Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey, pro-life advocate Kate Sickles, transgender whistleblower and former case manager at the Washington University Transgender Center Jamie Reed, and detransitioner Chloe Cole.
On stage with the speakers were Missouri women and doctors who support Amendment 3.
In her speech, Sickles shared, "In 2017, state health inspectors went into the Columbia, Missouri Planned Parenthood and found dried baby fetal parts and rusty, moldy equipment."
That facility was shut down, but in 2024, pro-abortion groups came into the state telling Missourians that women were dying in hospital parking lots due to a lack of ectopic pregnancy care. "That was simply not true," said Sickles.
Planned Parenthood then sued the state to block the safety standards. They succeeded in blocking all but two. The Planned Parenthood that was shut down for seven years because of failure to meet safety standards reopened the day after those safety standards were blocked.
AG Hanaway spoke about people she knows personally whose mothers refused abortion and how Hanaway can't imagine life without them, including the son she adopted.
"I'm just gonna ask you," she said, "do you want to save unborn children? Do you want to protect the health of women and stand up to that judge who overruled every single safety protection for women?" The crowd applauded as she asked them to get more people out to vote in favor of Amendment 3.
Cole shared her detransition story, saying that she was only 12 when she told her parents she was a boy. She ultimately went on puberty blockers at age 13 and underwent a double mastectomy at 15, both decisions she came to regret. "I still had stuffed animals on my bed," she said. "... I still had action figures and toys on my shelf."
Less than a year later, at age 16, she was longing to be a feminine woman, get married to a man, and have children of her own. The damage had already been done.
"I have to live with the lifelong consequences," she said, " and so do my mom and dad."
Amendment 3 would protect minors in the state from the same fate.
Westbrook told Live Action News just how vital it is that Amendment 3 passes. Also on the ballot is Amendment 6, which would turn the state from a constitutional republic to a direct democracy and allow citizens to collect signatures and pass laws.
"It shifts the power in a massive way to ballot initiatives getting most of the power," said Westbrook. He explained that it would cement all of the approved amendments from 2010 through 2026, and the only way they could be changed or removed would be with an 80% vote in both the House and the Senate. Amendment 6 is unfortunately likely to pass, said Westbrook. So if Amendment 3 were to fail, the previous amendment from 2024 would become much harder to undo. It could take a decade.
A YES vote on Amendment 3 repeals the 2024 abortion amendment that made abortion a right through all 40 weeks of pregnancy. A YES vote will protect the majority of preborn babies from abortion and put safety regulations back in place. A NO vote leaves the amendment in place. Absentee voting is already underway, and Election Day is Tuesday, November 3, 2026.
Editor's Note 10/28/26: This article was updated with further information on Amendment 3 and Amendment 6.
Live Action News is pro-life news and commentary from a pro-life perspective.
Our work is possible because of our donors. Please consider giving to further our work of changing hearts and minds on issues of life and human dignity.
Contact editor@liveaction.org for questions, corrections, or if you are seeking permission to reprint any Live Action News content.
Guest Articles: To submit a guest article to Live Action News, email editor@liveaction.org with an attached Word document of 800-1000 words. Please also attach any photos relevant to your submission if applicable. If your submission is accepted for publication, you will be notified within three weeks. Guest articles are not compensated (see our Open License Agreement). Thank you for your interest in Live Action News!
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·Detransitioner Chloe Cole, gender clinic whistleblower headline rally for Missouri Amendment 3
A rally and press conference were held in Missouri on Tuesday to support the state's Amendment 3, which will appear on the November 3 state ballot.
A rally was held on Tuesday in Missouri to inform voters about Amendment 3, which would repeal a previous ballot measure that made abortion a state constitutional right.
Amendment 3 would protect most preborn children from abortion and restore safety protections for pregnant women facing medical issues.
It would also ensure parental notification for abortions on minors and protect minors from so-called gender transition procedures such as cross-sex hormones, sex-change surgeries, and puberty blockers for minors under age 18.
On November 3, Missouri voters will vote on a constitutional measure that would ensure protections for miscarriage care, ectopic pregnancy treatment, and emergency care for women, and protect most preborn children from abortion.
Amendment 3 would also protect minors from so-called gender transition procedures. If passed, it would place a state constitutional ban on cross-sex hormones, sex-change surgeries, and puberty blockers for anyone under the age of 18. It would also allow families to sue medical professionals who carry out these procedures on minors.
According to the official ballot language, the amendment would impact abortion in the following ways:
Repeal the 2024 abortion amendment, removing the state constitutional "right" to abortion through viability.
Allow the legislature to regulate abortion once again.
Ensure parental consent before a minor obtains an abortion.
Permit abortion only in limited circumstances the state describes as medical emergencies, fetal anomalies, and rape or incest during the first 12 weeks.
Restore state-described health and safety standards for abortion businesses.
Every child deserves protection of the law, but, as explained by Live Action's Director of Government Affairs, Mark Wiltz, the choice is not between this amendment and a perfect pro-life law; it is between this amendment and a state constitution that considers every abortion a right.
Polling on the amendment has shown there is a good amount of support behind it. Coalition for Life Founder and Executive Director Brian Westbrook told Live Action News that internal polling shows 51% of voters are in favor of the amendment and 45% are against. The Catholic Archdiocese and all of the Catholic bishops in the state support Amendment 3, and the Baptist Convention voted last week to unanimously support it.
"In 2024," he said, "There was a black and white decision: no abortions or all abortions. Since then there has been a lot of noise and a lot of discussion about the lawsuits Planned Parenthood filed that removed all of the safety regulations regarding abortion in Missouri, so there are a lot of people upset about that. .. This amendment is not the same. It's not black and white no abortion or all abortions. It says, for those who think there should be exceptions, there are exceptions... It's going to grab the attention of people in the middle on abortion."
Westbrook explained that if passed, Amendment 3 will put Missouri in a better position than it was in prior to the fall of Roe v. Wade in June 2022. Abortion was legal through viability, but because of safety regulations, Planned Parenthood had essentially left the state. The day after the Supreme Court overturned Roe, a trigger law took effect in Missouri, allowing preborn babies to be protected from abortion.
"Planned Parenthood just gave up on Missouri," he said. "They simply didn't want to comply with common sense safety measures. They could go 20 minutes to the east or west and operate across the state border. Why would they bother with Missouri?"
Now, regulations on abortion in Missouri have been stripped. Amendment 3 would put them back in place, including required handwashing stations, medical malpractice insurance, informed consent, and parental notification. Prior to the fall of Roe, Planned Parenthood had left Missouri and was committing the majority of abortions out of state. So while some pro-lifers might be bothered by Amendment 3 including exceptions for abortion, Westbrook notes, "Is Planned Parenthood going to keep abortionists in Missouri if they can only do it for exceptions and with all of the regulations? They have never wanted to comply with these. We can save the babies who are the exceptions because Planned Parenthood doesn't want to bother with just a handful of abortions in the state. They'd rather just send their abortionists across the state line."
The pro-life event held on Tuesday was a partnership between Missouri Right to Life; Coalition Life; Her Health, Her Future; and other groups.
It featured Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway, former Co-Deputy Director of the FBI and former Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey, pro-life advocate Kate Sickles, transgender whistleblower and former case manager at the Washington University Transgender Center Jamie Reed, and detransitioner Chloe Cole.
On stage with the speakers were Missouri women and doctors who support Amendment 3.
In her speech, Sickles shared, "In 2017, state health inspectors went into the Columbia, Missouri Planned Parenthood and found dried baby fetal parts and rusty, moldy equipment."
That facility was shut down, but in 2024, pro-abortion groups came into the state telling Missourians that women were dying in hospital parking lots due to a lack of ectopic pregnancy care. "That was simply not true," said Sickles.
Planned Parenthood then sued the state to block the safety standards. They succeeded in blocking all but two. The Planned Parenthood that was shut down for seven years because of failure to meet safety standards reopened the day after those safety standards were blocked.
AG Hanaway spoke about people she knows personally whose mothers refused abortion and how Hanaway can't imagine life without them, including the son she adopted.
"I'm just gonna ask you," she said, "do you want to save unborn children? Do you want to protect the health of women and stand up to that judge who overruled every single safety protection for women?" The crowd applauded as she asked them to get more people out to vote in favor of Amendment 3.
Cole shared her detransition story, saying that she was only 12 when she told her parents she was a boy. She ultimately went on puberty blockers at age 13 and underwent a double mastectomy at 15, both decisions she came to regret. "I still had stuffed animals on my bed," she said. "... I still had action figures and toys on my shelf."
Less than a year later, at age 16, she was longing to be a feminine woman, get married to a man, and have children of her own. The damage had already been done.
"I have to live with the lifelong consequences," she said, " and so do my mom and dad."
Amendment 3 would protect minors in the state from the same fate.
Westbrook told Live Action News just how vital it is that Amendment 3 passes. Also on the ballot is Amendment 6, which would turn the state from a constitutional republic to a direct democracy and allow citizens to collect signatures and pass laws.
"It shifts the power in a massive way to ballot initiatives getting most of the power," said Westbrook. He explained that it would cement all of the approved amendments from 2010 through 2026, and the only way they could be changed or removed would be with an 80% vote in both the House and the Senate. Amendment 6 is unfortunately likely to pass, said Westbrook. So if Amendment 3 were to fail, the previous amendment from 2024 would become much harder to undo. It could take a decade.
A YES vote on Amendment 3 repeals the 2024 abortion amendment that made abortion a right through all 40 weeks of pregnancy. A YES vote will protect the majority of preborn babies from abortion and put safety regulations back in place. A NO vote leaves the amendment in place. Absentee voting is already underway, and Election Day is Tuesday, November 3, 2026.
Editor's Note 10/28/26: This article was updated with further information on Amendment 3 and Amendment 6.
Live Action News is pro-life news and commentary from a pro-life perspective.
Our work is possible because of our donors. Please consider giving to further our work of changing hearts and minds on issues of life and human dignity.
Contact editor@liveaction.org for questions, corrections, or if you are seeking permission to reprint any Live Action News content.
Guest Articles: To submit a guest article to Live Action News, email editor@liveaction.org with an attached Word document of 800-1000 words. Please also attach any photos relevant to your submission if applicable. If your submission is accepted for publication, you will be notified within three weeks. Guest articles are not compensated (see our Open License Agreement). Thank you for your interest in Live Action News!
Carole Novielli
·Pop Culture
Cassy Cooke
·International
Bridget Sielicki
·Politics
Nancy Flanders
·International
Bridget Sielicki
·Analysis
Nancy Flanders
·Pop Culture
Nancy Flanders
·Investigative
Nancy Flanders
·Abortion Pill
Nancy Flanders
·