abortion ban

Missouri Democrats gathered in St. Louis on Saturday for their annual Truman Dinner, the biggest event of the year for a party that remains on the outs in state politics. The 2026 midterms will also include critical votes on a proposed abortion ban and a measure making it harder to change the constitution.

GOP lawmakers placed a constitutional amendment on the 2026 ballot that would repeal Amendment 3, the abortion rights measure that Missouri voters approved last year. Except the new ballot summary didn't mention that it would ban abortion — so a Cole County judge ruled that it must be rewritten.

A vote in the full state House of Representatives could come as early as Monday. The changes would also need the approval the Senate and then voters.

The departing GOP official made a major splash in his short time as Missouri attorney general.

A proposed amendment written by Missouri Republican lawmakers would repeal the reproductive rights measure passed by voters last year — but makes no mention that it would ban abortion. The ACLU of Missouri argues the proposal violates the state constitution and misleads voters.

Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey is appealing an order from a Jackson County judge that currently prevents the state from enforcing numerous abortion regulations. But the state supreme court unanimously refused to take up his request.

After Republican lawmakers rolled back sick leave benefits and targeted abortion rights, a bipartisan coalition called Respect Missouri Voters started pushing an initiative petition seeking to undermine the legislature’s ability to overturn voter-approved measures.

A Jackson County Circuit Court judge blocked enforcement last week of nearly all Missouri laws that restrict abortion, ruling the 2024 passage of Amendment 3 enshrined the right to an abortion in the state constitution. Missouri has already started and stopped abortion services several times this year as legal battles continue.

As it did in 2023, the ACLU of Missouri is arguing that the ballot summary for a constitutional amendment on abortion is misleading and should be rewritten

For the third time, a Jackson County judge ruled that Missouri's abortion restrictions cannot be enforced under Amendment 3. Planned Parenthood said its Kansas City clinic will resume services on Monday, but Attorney General Andrew Bailey will appeal the ruling.

Republican lawmakers put a measure on the 2026 ballot that would not just cement an abortion ban in the Missouri Constitution, but would also prevent transgender youth from accessing gender-affirming health care.

With no clear indication of when — or if — access to abortion will be restored in Missouri, and a GOP-crafted amendment banning the procedure heading for the ballot next year, advocates on both sides are navigating the uncertainty and gearing up for the fight ahead.