USAupdated 1h ago3 min read
Archive photo · 1 March 2011Missouri Voters Reject Amendment 3, Preserving Abortion Rights And Blocking Gender-Affirming Care Ban
“it showed a dead heat—an understandable result given that the anti-abortion, anti-trans ballot measure was profoundly, and intentionally, confusing.”
“Republican lawmakers asked them to reverse course this year.”
Photo: KTrimble at English Wikipedia, CC0 · Cropped for layout
This article is an automated aggregation of coverage from news outlets. Our editorials offer in-depth analysis curated by the NewsCord team.
Missouri voters rejected Amendment 3, preserving abortion rights established in 2024. Would have banned most abortions and restricted gender-affirming care for minors.
Save coverage image
Amendment 3 defeated
Missouri voters rejected Amendment 3 on Tuesday, November 3, preserving the voter-approved 2024 abortion rights amendment and blocking a constitutional ballot measure to ban gender-affirming medical care for minors.
NPR reported an Associated Press election call, showing the call at 10:18 p.m. Central on Tuesday, and the rejection preserved Missouri’s existing restrictions rather than repealing them.
The SAFE Act of 2023 still bans gender-affirming surgery for anyone under 18, and it prohibits most minors from starting puberty blockers or cross-sex hormone therapy.
The medication restrictions are set to expire on August 28, 2027, under the state's current law, while the ban on surgery has no expiration date.
Republican lawmakers had submitted the measure to the ballot under House Joint Resolution 73, and Representative Ed Lewis of R-Moberly described it as “This is an intermediate proposal that allows for some exceptions,” in an October interview with St. Louis Public Radio.
Campaign framing and claims
Governor Mike Kehoe conducted one final statewide campaign tour on Monday, and the Kansas City Star described him standing alongside U.S. Rep. Mark Alford and conservative activists at Charles B. Wheeler Downtown Airport to encourage residents to vote in favor of the amendment.
Kehoe cast the amendment as a way to “protect innocent life,” and he pushed back on the idea that lawmakers were disregarding voters who legalized abortion two years ago.
Abortion Action Missouri executive director Mallory Schwarz said Amendment 3’s failure shows how Missourians feel about the issue, arguing, “People don't want politicians in their business, in their healthcare decisions,” in comments carried by STLPR.
Amanda Sanders, communications director for Her Health, Her Future, said Amendment 3 losing is a “devastating loss for women,” and she framed it as “This is a loss for women's health and safety,” in the same STLPR account.
The Missouri Independent reported that Her Health, Her Future’s first television ad opened with “It starts with a drag queen story hour and ends with children under the knife,” and the state Department of Education called a related claim “false.”
What remains at stake
The rejection of Amendment 3 did not overturn a Missouri Supreme Court decision that upheld the SAFE Act on January 13, and Judge Kelly Broniec wrote that the challenged prohibition “falls only in relation to age and medical use.” Attorney General Catherine Hanaway praised the decision, while the Missouri ACLU condemned it, with Gillian Wilcox, Director of Litigation, saying, “Today’s decision allows the state to continue enforcing a harmful ban that targets Missouri’s transgender residents.” The Gayvox account said the rejection preserves the 2024 constitutional protections and also prevents proposed constitutional restrictions from taking effect, while leaving separate laws, including the SAFE Act, in place.
NPR reported that the defeat also sent a message of voter support for transgender rights, after abortion opponents coupled the proposal with a ban on puberty blockers, hormone therapy and gender-affirming surgery for minors. STLPR said the fight over abortion access in Missouri is not over, and Sanders said, “We still maintained a pretty competitive race,” while also saying, “This is beyond a vote on an amendment,” and that Her Health, Her Future would continue its work.