Just six months after Missouri voters narrowly approved a constitutional amendment protecting abortion rights, Republican lawmakers on Wednesday advanced a new proposal to repeal that decision and impose a near-total abortion ban.
The proposed constitutional amendment, approved by the state Senate in a 21-11 vote, would restrict abortion access to cases of rape, incest, medical emergencies, or fetal anomalies—limiting eligibility in those cases to the first 12 weeks of pregnancy.
Why It Matters
The move marks a sharp reversal in Missouri’s volatile abortion landscape. After the fall of Roe v. Wade in 2022 triggered an automatic statewide abortion ban, voters last year passed a constitutional amendment restoring the right to abortion until fetal viability.
What to Know
GOP senators used rare procedural tactics to block Democratic debate, prompting protestors in the Senate gallery to erupt in chants of “Stop the ban!” before being removed.
The new GOP referendum also includes provisions to ban gender transition surgeries and hormone therapies for minors, codifying restrictions already in effect under Missouri law.
Missouri has stood out as the only state where voters have overturned a near-total abortion ban. In November, approximately 52 percent of voters approved a constitutional amendment securing the right to abortion up to the point of fetal viability, typically considered to be just beyond 21 weeks of pregnancy. The amendment also permits abortions later in pregnancy when necessary to protect the life or health of the pregnant woman.
Since the amendment’s passage, a small number of surgical abortions have taken place in the state. However, medication abortions remain unavailable while Planned Parenthood continues to challenge Missouri’s regulatory framework in court.
South Carolina’s Supreme Court on Wednesday upheld the state’s six-week abortion ban, making it among the states with the strictest abortion laws.
What People Are Saying
Missouri Democratic Rep. Ashley Aune posted on X, formerly Twitter, “Currently watching senate republicans blow up 5 months of goodwill & bipartisan work by ending the @MoSenDems filibusters of BOTH of the attacks on the will of the voters: abortion rights & workers’ rights. Missouri, the fight to MAINTAIN our bodily autonomy is on.”
Missouri Republican Rep. Brian Seitz, who is handling the measure, said, “Missourians deserve to be presented with better options at the ballot box – options that are more in line with their values.”
What’s Next
The measure now heads back to voters, either in November 2026 or earlier if Republican Gov. Mike Kehoe calls a special election.
Tens of millions of women live in states where abortion is banned or heavily restricted, about three years after the Roe vs. Wade ruling.
Reporting by the Associated Press contributed to this article.
Update: 5/14/25, 7:26 p.m. ET: This article has been updated with additional information.
The post Republicans Move to Overturn Abortion Rights Amendment After Voter Approval appeared first on Newsweek.
