Voters in Missouri have rejected an anti-abortion measure that aimed to restrict access to abortions, with some exceptions, and would have overturned the "reproductive freedom" enshrined in the state constitution two years prior. The failed amendment was supported by the anti-abortion rights PAC Her Health and Her Future.
The proposed amendment would have permitted state lawmakers to regulate abortions and access to care, according to the Guttmacher Institute. It would have allowed abortions in cases of medical emergencies, fetal anomalies, rape, or incest, with a 12-week gestation limit for the latter two. Minors seeking abortions would have required parental or guardian consent under the failed amendment.
This vote comes after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022, ending federal protections for abortion access. Missouri enacted a trigger ban following the decision, prohibiting most abortions in the state. However, in 2024, Missouri voters approved an amendment establishing the "right to reproductive freedom" in the state constitution with approximately 52% of the vote, which prohibits the government from denying or infringing upon this right.
The 2024 ballot initiative subsequently led to a court decision that overturned Missouri's total abortion ban, allowing abortions to resume in the state in 2025. The Guttmacher Institute reported that 3,550 abortions were provided by clinicians in Missouri in 2025, a 53.5% increase from 2024. Prior to this resumption, over 11,600 individuals traveled out of state for abortion care in 2025 due to the restrictions.
Reproductive Freedom for All, which invested six figures in its campaign to defeat the measure, stated that Missourians have "rejected anti-democratic attempts to take away their power." Mini Timmaraju, President and CEO of Reproductive Freedom for All, said in a statement, "Missouri Republicans tried to overturn the will of voters, but Missourians fought back and chose reproductive freedom for the third time in two years."
State Sen. Adam Schnelting, who sponsored the proposal that led to the amendment's placement on the ballot, had previously stated that the amendment was "critical to protecting women and children and providing Missourians with a measure that is more in line with their values than the one narrowly passed two years ago." Schnelting did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the election results.