Voters could soon decide to reinstate Missouri’s near-total abortion ban following the state legislature’s passage of a constitutional amendment. The GOP-controlled Missouri Senate passed a proposed constitutional amendment Thursday, which would repeal an earlier constitutional amendment passed by voters last year that enshrined abortion protections in the state’s constitution. Democrats attempted to block the move via a filibuster, but Republicans bypassed the procedure using procedural rules, as reported by The Associated Press.
The proposed amendment, which was passed by the Missouri House last month, will be placed on the state’s ballot for the 2026 general election. However, the amendment could be voted on sooner if the Republican governor calls a special election on the issue. Senate Democrats criticized the move, stating that it represents an attempt to overturn the will of the voters, as the amendment would reverse the narrow victory of the 2024 ballot measure that enshrined abortion protections in the state’s constitution.
Following the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade in 2022, several Republican states enacted trigger laws that automatically imposed stricter abortion regulations. Missouri was among the first to enact a post-Roe abortion ban, making all abortions illegal except when the life of the mother was at risk. However, in 2024, a citizen-initiated constitutional amendment known as Amendment 3 was passed by voters, effectively repealing Missouri’s trigger law and enshrining abortion protections in the state’s constitution.
Missouri Republicans attempted to include language in the ballot amendment that would explicitly repeal Amendment 3, but this effort did not succeed, according to the Missouri Independent. If the latest ballot measure passes, it would include exceptions for rape and incest, further limiting access to abortion in the state.