Missouri tees up ballot repeal of new pro-abortion amendment

The Republican-controlled Missouri Senate on Wednesday voted 21-11 to pass a resolution to put a pro-life constitutional amendment on the ballot in 2026. Lawmakers on Wednesday used a parliamentary motion called “previous question” to end a Democrat filibuster and force a vote on the measure. If approved by voters next year, the proposed amendment would protect nearly all unborn babies from abortion except in cases of medical emergency, fetal anomalies, rape, or incest. Abortions would be permitted up to 12 weeks of pregnancy in those instances. The lawmakers’ vote comes just over half a year after Missouri voters approved a pro-abortion amendment in a close ballot.

What else is in the bill? The measure also prohibits public funding from being used to pay for abortions and guarantees women access to medical care if they experience a miscarriage, ectopic pregnancy, or other medical emergencies. The amendment would also ban providers from prescribing transgender medical interventions, puberty blockers, and cross-sex hormones for children. State House Representatives passed the measure last month and it is scheduled to go before voters during the general election in November next year unless the governor calls for a special election.

What happened in last year’s ballot? A narrow majority of Missouri voters in November 2024 approved a constitutional amendment that enshrined abortion access into the state’s constitution. Abortion advocates spent millions of dollars campaigning for the amendment, according to the Missouri Independent. Meanwhile, Planned Parenthood and the ACLU of Missouri sued the state in November to block several laws restricting abortion facilities and providers.

Dig deeper: Read Leah Savas’ report about Republican states that passed pro-abortion amendments in 2024.