This is an article from the June 2025 Civitas Examiner (Volume 2, No. 3) and was written by one of our students, Mira R. The opinions expressed herein do not reflect those of Civitas other than respect for the value of open dialogue. To read more Civitas Examiner stories or to submit your own, click here.
Though abortion was technically legalized in Missouri in 1973 with Roe v. Wade, this is far from reality for many Missourians. Nick Dunne, a representative from Planned Parenthood Great Rivers, cites TRAP laws as a major cause of this. In 2018, Missouri legislators passed what are known as the TRAP (Targeted Regulation of Abortion Providers) laws, which heavily restricted abortion without outright banning it. These laws enforced a 72-hour waiting period, strict licensing requirements for abortion clinics, requirements for unnecessary exams to be performed, and regulations for the physical structure of abortion facilities. Dunne claims that this made abortions extremely difficult to access in the state. In fact, the number of abortion clinics went from 26 to 1 after the laws were enacted.
In 2022, Roe v. Wade was overturned, and Missouri banned all abortions that were not medically necessary. However, in the 2024 election, Amendment 3 was added to the ballot, a referendum which would add the right to reproductive freedom to the Missouri constitution.
The campaigning process for Amendment 3 was extensive. Activists, campaigners, and politicians collected 380,159 signatures for the amendment. One of the people collecting these signatures was Missouri State Senator Tracy McCreery. A method that she found particularly effective was reframing the issue when speaking to voters. Instead of debating individuals about the ethics of abortion, she focused more on the principles of democracy behind a referendum. She told voters, “by signing this petition, all you’re doing is giving voters a chance to have their say.”
However, a major issue that McCreery faced on the campaign was misinformation. She says that there were two significant pieces of false information about Amendment 3 that she encountered: one, that the amendment would allow abortions even up to 9 months of pregnancy, and two, that the amendment involved gender-affirming care for minors. Both of these points are untrue; the amendment allowed for abortion up to the point of fetal viability, and made no mention of transgender healthcare. McCreery says that because of the complexity of these issues, debunking this misinformation was “not a conversation you could have in 30 seconds” with voters, making it difficult to refute.
Despite these challenges, Amendment 3 was passed with a 51.6% majority in November 2024.
“Missourians wanted abortion access. They wanted politicians out of their exam rooms, and to be able to make their own decisions without political interference,” Nick Dunne said. In the winter of 2025, Circuit Court Judge Jerri Zhang lifted Missouri’s overall abortion ban, as well as many of the TRAP laws that restricted access to abortion.
While the passage of Amendment 3 was seen as a major victory for reproductive freedom, it is still facing many legal challenges today. In May of 2025, House Joint Resolution 73 was passed, which would repeal Amendment 3 if passed in the 2026 election. Additionally, the Missouri Supreme Court has issued a writ of mandamus, which has essentially reinstated the restrictions on abortion until the election.
“Right now, Planned Parenthood health centers across the state are not able to provide abortion in any capacity,” Dunne said.
Now, the campaign for abortion rights has started again for the 2026 election. A new challenge to this is the wording of HJR 73. On the ballot that voters will see, it reads: “An abortion may be performed or induced upon a woman in cases of medical emergency, fetal anomaly, rape, or incest.” This wording seems to suggest that the bill is expanding abortion rights, when in reality, it is restricting them to only these four situations. This could easily mislead voters, causing them to unintentionally vote against their beliefs.
However, Tracy McCreery hasn’t lost hope. During the campaign, she had to “check her stereotypes at the door,” finding abortion to be a shockingly bipartisan issue. She says that she often met people who she knew to be Republican, who still supported Amendment 3. Currently, she is in the early stages of the second campaign, which she says involve “several town halls,” and “just generically educating people.” Abortion in Missouri has a complicated legal history, and the state’s public opinion will be tested yet again in 2026.
