abortion

The November measure would essentially reinstate Missouri's abortion ban by repealing the reproductive rights amendment voters approved in 2024. It would also add a constitutional ban on gender-affirming care for minors.

An amendment banning abortion will go before Missouri voters in November, possibly alongside a referendum on the state's gerrymandered congressional map. But a proposal to expand sales taxes and eliminate the income tax will appear in the smaller-turnout August election.

In some respects, whether the Republican-controlled legislature succeeded in all of its goals isn’t known yet, because priorities like restricting abortion and ending the income tax must be decided by voters.

Proponents of the bill say the legislation is necessary to protect those who survive an attempted abortion, while opponents say it creates a hostile environment for medical workers.

The U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022 to let states decide how to manage abortion access. But Yvette Lindgren, a professor of law at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, says state bans aren’t resulting in fewer abortions.

Other legislation that could be considered in the last week of the 2026 session includes a wide-reaching education bill and measures to limit vehicle inspections and raise the rural highway speed limit.

The most recent data from the Kansas Department of Health and Environment show more than 70% of abortions in 2024 used the drug mifepristone. There’s a court battle over mailing the medication to patients.

The original bill would have allowed civil lawsuits against anyone involved in an unlawful abortion, including self-induced abortions

Backers of the Respect Missouri Voters initiative turned in roughly 350,000 signatures on Sunday to the Missouri secretary of state’s office. Lawmakers would be barred from changing or repealing voter-approved statutes or constitutional amendments, unless 80% of the legislature agrees to put the changes to another statewide vote.

Although Missouri voters restored abortion rights in 2024, multiple legal, political and court battles over the common abortion medication mifepristone continue to run through the state. Hawley is taking aim at the drug through proposed legislation and calling for federal investigations.

Republican Gov. Mike Kehoe said he's ready to sell his plan to expand sales and use taxes, which would allow Missouri to end the income tax. Another ballot measure would repeal constitutional protections for abortion rights.

Jefferson City-based Beacon Reproductive Health Network called Hawley’s accusation that they are an abortion provider "intentionally misleading." The nonprofit distributes grants to 65 Missouri health centers, including city and county health departments and hospital-based clinics.