Missouri voters on Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026, rejected a constitutional amendment that would have established a ban on abortion in the state constitution. The Associated Press projected the defeat of Amendment 3, which was referred to the ballot by the state’s legislature. With 95% of the votes counted, the measure trailed by more than 200,000 votes.
The proposal sought to overhaul a previous referendum passed by voters in 2024. That 2024 measure, which passed with 52% of the vote, had enshrined abortion protections in the Missouri constitution. If Amendment 3 had passed, Missouri would have become the first state to explicitly include an abortion ban in its constitution. Missouri is among several states, including Montana, Kansas, Ohio, and Arizona, where voters have acted to codify abortion protections since the 2022 U.S. Supreme Court decision that ended federal abortion rights.
The proposed amendment included language to prohibit gender-affirming care for minors, a practice already restricted by Missouri state law but not currently addressed in the constitution. The proposal also outlined exceptions for medical emergencies, fetal anomalies, and pregnancies resulting from rape or incest, with the latter limited to the first 12 weeks of gestation. Supporters and opponents differed on the amendment's focus; opponents characterized the emphasis on gender-affirming care as misleading, noting that polling showed higher public opposition to transgender healthcare than to abortion access.
The margin of more than 200,000 votes with 95% counted signals a preference among Missouri voters for the status quo established in 2024. For Missourians, this means reproductive health services, including abortion, remain protected under the state constitution. The defeat also blocked the implementation of specific constitutional exceptions for medical emergencies or fetal anomalies, which opponents argued would have failed to protect patients in practice.
Pro-choice organizations, including Planned Parenthood Great Plains Votes and the Beacon Reproductive Health Network, stated that the vote affirmed the "will of the people" regarding healthcare decisions. Katy Erker-Lynch, the executive director of PROMO, stated that the results showed trans and queer Missourians are not a political liability. With the results finalized, the current constitutional protections for abortion in Missouri remain unchanged.