This election, Missouri voters have a critical opportunity to make their voices heard on reproductive rights. Amendment 3, the Right to Reproductive Freedom Initiative, would amend the state constitution to guarantee a right to reproductive health care and offer protections for pregnant people or medical providers who seek or provide an abortion.
Amendment 3 establishes a few clear and reasonable goals to restore reproductive freedom in Missouri. The state鈥檚 current ban doesn鈥檛 even have exceptions for rape or incest and only a vague exception for 鈥渕edical emergencies.鈥
Don鈥檛 believe the fallacies and fear tactics being spread by extremists. Contrary to what you might see on a billboard as you drive down a Missouri highway, it won鈥檛 allow abortion up to live birth or open up access to gender-affirming surgeries.
Here are the facts:
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Fact: Amendment 3 is about reproductive health care, including access to contraceptives, abortions before fetal viability, and miscarriage care.
Fact: Amendment 3 uses the same standard as Roe v. Wade, which is to generally protect abortion rights only before fetal viability. Almost all abortions are done very early in pregnancy. The Guttmacher Institute found 92.8% of abortions in Missouri in 2022 were done before the 15th week of pregnancy. The few who access abortion care late in pregnancy do so in unexpected life and medical situations, ones where the mother might die and/or lose the ability to bear children.
Fact: Amendment 3 won鈥檛 cost you money. All Missouri counties but one estimated no costs to the state if the amendment passes. It doesn鈥檛 authorize state funding for reproductive health care. Contrary to the lies being told to confuse voters, Amendment 3 would not require government funding for any drugs or medical procedures.
Fact: Missourians (not out-of-state interests) are the driving force behind the ballot measure. More than 70 members of the League of Women Voters of Missouri gathered petition signatures to get this on the ballot. Despite numerous attempts to derail it, this measure is on the Nov. 5 ballot because more than 380,000 Missouri residents wanted a chance to vote on this issue.
Yes, there has been out-of-state funding, but that does not mean that Missourians don鈥檛 want this amendment. Rather, it鈥檚 proof that people around the country know that this is a pivotal moment in American politics. States with citizen initiative petitions that have been able to vote on this issue have defeated similar bans.
Fact: Providing reproductive health care will keep women safe who could otherwise be harmed or even die because of dangerous pregnancy conditions. When you hear someone say that abortions harm women, think of all the people who are being harmed by the current ban: girls who have been raped or subject to incest, women who have had a miscarriage or ectopic pregnancy, or anyone who cannot carry out a pregnancy without facing serious medical risks.
Fact: Amendment 3 won鈥檛 remove any state regulations that legitimately seek to further the safety and quality of health care. Missourians will still be able to sue any health care provider for malpractice.
Fact: Penalties under the current abortion ban discourage medical professionals from providing needed treatment after a miscarriage. Under current Missouri law, doctors who perform abortions deemed unnecessary can be charged with a class B felony and face up to 15 years in prison, and their medical license can be suspended or revoked. There has been over a 25 percent drop in OBGYN residencies in Missouri since the abortion ban began in 2023.
Fact: Experts say Amendment 3 will reduce the number of counties without maternity care providers or birth facilities. In Missouri, 41% of counties are currently maternity care deserts according to a 2023 report from the March of Dimes.
Amendment 3 is endorsed by both the League of Women Voters of Missouri and the American Association of University Women of Missouri. The League adopted its position that women have a right to privacy and bodily autonomy in 1982. The AAUW is dedicated to advancing reproductive rights and equity for women.
At this key moment, the life and liberty of many Missourians is at stake. Members of both organizations believe health care decisions are deeply personal and the current ban denying women access to healthcare is creating a crisis in public health.
Don’t let the fear-mongering get to you. Read the official ballot language at . Think about women’s health, about public health, and vote yes on 3.