MO Abortion Rights Update

The attack on women's rights and democracy in Missouri

May 25, 2025

Missouri Republicans wasted no time reversing the will of the people, who only six months ago, voted to enshrine abortion rights for women up to the point of fetal viability and in extreme medical emergencies. The offenses to our democratic values go beyond their disregard of the will of the people. Missouri Republicans deployed a rule, called the “Previous Question” (PQ), to shut down debate and move to a vote to repeal the sick leave law and put abortion bans back on the ballot (Keller and Bates, 2025). This rule is an unsurprising move for Missouri Republicans and in the greater Project 2025 landscape, though the disregard for democratic values is still infuriating!

The new ballot initiative which will be voted on in 2026 would reinstate abortion bans for women except in cases of medical emergencies or for victims of incest or rape but only up to 12 weeks of pregnancy (Lieb, 2025). There is a chance that the governor can call for a special election for Missourians to vote on this, as early as this year. This would give less time for pro-abortion groups to raise awareness and get out the vote.

I previously wrote about why abortion rights are harmful to women in my Missouri Republicans are ignoring the will of the people article, so I will not get into it again this time. What this is about is staying vigilant and protecting our rights. This initiative will be purposely misleading. It will not mention that this will be a repeal of Amendment 3 or an abortion ban (Keller and Bates, 2025). It will also include problematic “ballot candy” tactics, by including language that bans transgenger affirming care. This is a tactic because gender affirming care is already banned in Missouri!

What can we do right now?

Stay tuned for more information on how to get involved with organizations to protect our abortion rights! As I learn more information, I will post about it in my substack. Feel free to share any calls for action in the comments!
In the meantime, start talking to your family, friends, and neighbors about this issue. Post about it on social media, if that is your thing.
We need to get the vote out, and secure an even greater majority to send a message to the Missouri GOP that we want women to have access to modern medicine! This means that we should encourage young voting-aged Missourians and other unregistered citizens to register and make a plan to vote. To learn more about voter registration in Missouri, click here.

MO Abortion Rights Update

The attack on women's rights and democracy in Missouri

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