Missouri GOP pushes new amendment to undo abortion rights and ban teen gender care

Missouri’s Republican leadership has introduced a new constitutional amendment, also called Amendment 3, for the November ballot that would rescind the 2024 voter-approved guarantee of abortion rights and embed a permanent ban on gender-transition surgeries and medications for minors. The state already restricts such treatments by law, but the amendment would cement them in the constitution. GOP officials claim the proposal aligns with voters’ preferences for limited abortion exceptions and child protection, whereas opponents label the gender-care provision “ballot candy” intended to mask the repeal of reproductive rights.

A poll shows about 60% support for early-term abortions but a majority oppose gender-transition care, and when presented together, 47% back the amendment. Critics, including former justice Michael Wolff, argue the ballot language is misleading; courts have ordered revisions that now highlight the repeal of the 2024 amendment. Advocacy group Stop the Ban, funded in part by Michael Bloomberg, has raised over $5 million to educate voters. The fight underscores a broader clash between a super-majority Republican government and citizen-driven initiatives in Missouri.