Missouri Amendment 3 would protect the unborn, make permanent the ban on sex-changes for kids if passed

Missouri voters have a chance in November to increase protections for unborn children and ensure sex-change treatments for minors remain illegal.

State lawmakers approved a new Amendment 3 ballot measure that would effectively ban abortions except in cases of medical emergency, fetal anomaly, rape or incest, according to the legislation.

If a majority of voters reject the amendment, abortions would be allowed to continue with minimal restrictions, and the Missouri law that prohibits sex-change surgeries for minors will be allowed to expire Aug. 28, 2027.

The U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022, returning abortion policy to the states. Following that decision, a Missouri law banning abortion immediately went into effect.

In November 2024, however, Missouri voters approved a constitutional amendment legalizing abortion in the state until the baby’s viability at 24 weeks gestation. The measure passed by a 52% to 48% margin and featured heavy spending by pro-abortion groups.

Amendment 3 gives voters the opportunity to reestablish the state’s previous abortion law, but political action committees are already launching campaigns against it.

StopTheBanMO released a campaign video urging voters to reject the amendment and keep abortion legal in Missouri. The pro-abortion campaign includes groups such as Abortion Action Missouri, the ACLU of Missouri and Planned Parenthood affiliates in Kansas City and St. Louis, The Kansas City Star reported. The campaign has already raised $4 million to support its efforts, according to the Missouri Independent.

Pro-life leaders and organizations, including the Her Health Her Future and Missouri Right to Life political action committees, are supporting the amendment’s return to the ballot and urging voters to protect the unborn.

“You’re reading this because you were given a chance at life. Everyone deserves a life to be loved, seen and cherished for existing,” Missouri Right to Life PAC said Thursday in a post on X, asking for donations for its campaign to end abortion in Missouri.

Her Health Her Future launched in 2025 specifically to support Amendment 3. Missouri First Lady Claudia Kehoe, wife of Gov. Mike Kehoe, is its treasurer.

“Putting Amendment 3 before Missouri voters this November was a data-driven decision that gives Missourians the opportunity to stand for women, children, and our state’s core values,” the group said in a recent post on X.