Missouri lawmakers seek to repeal pro-abortion amendment

Last week, Missouri House members advanced a proposed constitutional amendment that will ask voters to repeal the pro-abortion constitutional amendment that they approved by a narrow margin in November. The proposed amendment would protect most preborn children from abortion, and it passed the House in a 94-50 vote.

“Missourians deserve to be presented with better options at the ballot box — options that are more in line with their values,” said State Rep. Brian Seitz.

In November, Missouri voters approved Amendment 3, which overturned the state’s pro-life laws, including those surrounding safety. It made abortion a state constitutional ‘right’ and made the state’s pro-life ‘trigger law’ (which took effect in June 2022 when Roe v. Wade was overturned) obsolete. The amendment states that “the right to reproductive freedom shall not be denied, interfered with, delayed, or otherwise restricted unless the government demonstrates that such action is justifiable by a compelling governmental interest achieved by the least restrictive means.”

READ: Does a new report show stabilizing abortion numbers since the end of Roe?

The proposed amendment would overturn that, allowing the state to once again protect most preborn children from abortion, except in medical emergencies or when the child is diagnosed with a health condition. It would also allow abortion in cases of rape and incest up to 12 weeks. It is not necessary to directly and intentionally kill a preborn child via induced abortion.

House Speaker Jon Patterson was one of two Republicans who voted against the proposed amendment. Last year, Amendment 3, the pro-abortion amendment, won with just 52% of the vote, leading some to oppose the newly proposed amendment amid concerns that if state Republicans lose the 2026 elections and the amendment fails, it could be harder to overturn the pro-abortion amendment afterward.

Another House vote is required to send the measure to the Senate, where it is likely to pass. If it does clear both chambers, it will be put on a future Missouri ballot.