Missouri Ballot Measure Seeks to Repeal 2024 Abortion Rights and Enshrine Gender-Transition Ban

Missouri’s Republican-controlled government has placed a new constitutional amendment—also called Amendment 3—on the November ballot. The measure would overturn the 2024 voter-approved amendment that guarantees reproductive-health rights, including abortion up to fetal viability, and would instead restore a near-total abortion ban with limited exceptions. It would also embed a permanent prohibition on gender-transition surgeries and, through 2027, on puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones for minors.

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After the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2022 decision overturning *Roe v. Wade*, Missouri’s GOP-dominated legislature enacted a near-total abortion ban. Voters rejected that ban in the 2024 election, approving Amendment 3 with 51.6 % support, thereby enshrining abortion rights in the state constitution. Since August 2023, state law already bans gender-transition surgeries for minors and pauses new prescriptions of puberty blockers or hormones for minors until 2027. Republican leaders now aim to cement both restrictions in the constitution, using the same amendment name.

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• 2022 – Supreme Court overturns *Roe v. Wade*.

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• 2023 (August) – Missouri law bans gender-transition surgeries for minors and pauses new prescriptions of puberty-blocking or hormone treatments.

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• 2024 – Voters approve Amendment 3, guaranteeing abortion rights through fetal viability (51.6 % to 48.4 %).

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• Early 2025 – Officials draft a new amendment, also called Amendment 3, to repeal the 2024 rights and add constitutional gender-transition restrictions.

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• February 2025 – SLU/YouGov poll shows 60 % support for legal abortion in the first eight weeks, 67 % oppose gender-transition medications for minors, and 73 % oppose gender-transition surgeries.

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• Mid-2025 – Secretary of State Denny Hoskins submits ballot language; a judge orders it rewritten for fairness; an appeals court later mandates language that explicitly states the repeal of the 2024 amendment.

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• Late 2025 – Two related lawsuits concerning ballot-summary disputes are decided in favor of Hoskins; both are expected to reach the Missouri Supreme Court on expedited appeal.

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Republican leaders argue the amendment reflects voters’ true intent, emphasizing limited exceptions for rape, incest, medical emergencies, and fetal anomalies. Rep. Brian Seitz (Branson) contends that gender-affirming treatment is a reproductive issue because some procedures could affect future fertility, and he disputes that Missourians approved “abortion on demand.” Secretary of State Denny Hoskins defended his use of the term “amend” rather than “repeal,” saying his anti-abortion stance is well known and that the revised ballot language now clearly states the repeal of the 2024 reproductive-health amendment.

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Political science professor Ken Warren (Saint Louis University) describes the GOP’s approach as “drunk with power,” noting the party’s reliance on misleading language despite its legislative dominance. Rep. Raychel Proudie (Democrat, Ferguson) accuses Republicans of “moving the goalpost” and urges voters to reject the measure. Former chief justice Michael Wolff, advising the opposition campaign, says the ballot language is intended to deceive voters into believing it protects women’s abortions. State Sen. Maggie Nurrenbern (Democrat, Kansas City) characterizes the Secretary of State’s actions as part of a broader pattern of undermining voter-initiated measures.

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The revised ballot summary is set for the November vote. Separate lawsuits challenging the Secretary of State’s handling of ballot language and citizen-initiated measures are slated for expedited review by the Missouri Supreme Court. The outcomes of those appeals could determine whether the amendment proceeds to the ballot and how future voter-initiated measures are vetted.

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