abortion ban

Hawley and Kunce are running what many consider the most competitive Missouri statewide contest on Tuesday’s ballot. Thursday's debate touched on a wide range of topics, including immigration, gun control, abortion rights and energy.

If adopted by Missouri voters on Nov. 5, Amendment 3 would end the state's near-total abortion ban and would cement the right to reproductive freedom in the constitution. Opponents have criticized the ballot language for being too broad — and in some cases have spread misinformation about it.

The proposed constitutional amendment would spell the end for Missouri's near-total abortion ban, legalizing the practice up to fetal viability — generally considered 24 weeks. It would also be a stunning rebuke for Missouri Republicans who fought for decades to restrict access.

Missouri saw a 14% increase in the number of reported abortions among its residents last year compared to 2020, according to a new report, fueled largely by the increase in telehealth-assisted abortions from providers in states where the procedure is protected.

Missourians for Constitutional Freedom, the campaign behind Amendment 3 to legalize abortion, also spent over $10 million on TV and radio ads. That's more than 20 times what abortion opponents spent to defeat it.

Physicians knocked on doors around the state to get out the vote for Amendment 3, which would reverse Missouri's abortion ban. They say the restrictions compromises their jobs and endangers women.

A survey of registered voters in four states showed a disconnect between policy rhetoric from lawmakers and candidates and what their constituents believe about a range of issues. We asked experts for an explanation.

Andrew Bailey's lawsuit seeking to block access to the abortion pill argues that it harms Missouri by “depressing expected birth rates for teenaged mothers." His argument stands in contrast to Missouri's own public health policies.

Lee's Summit Rep. Jon Patterson, who is expected to become the Missouri House Speaker, says he doesn’t support Amendment 3. But he thinks the legislature should accept the results if voters reverse the state's near-total abortion ban.

Catholic bishops donated roughly $30,000 in Missouri, where an abortion rights amendment is on the ballot. That's just a fraction of the nearly $3.7 million that a Kansas diocese donated two years ago.

Recent polling by The Midwest Newsroom and Emerson College found that 56% of respondents considered the state’s current abortion ban to be too strict. But opponents of abortion rights argue that Amendment 3, the legalization ballot issue this November, would be too expansive.

Gov. Mike Parson and Sen. Josh Hawley have claimed that Missouri Amendment 3 — which would legalize abortion — would also allow minors to obtain gender transition surgeries without parental consent. Legal and medical experts say that's "wildly inaccurate."