Amendment Three is on the statewide Missouri ballot for Nov. 5. It is a measure that would amend the Missouri Constitution to protect the right to reproductive freedom. According to ballotpedia.org, reproductive freedom is defined within the amendment as “the right to make and carry out decisions about all matters relating to reproductive health care, including but not limited to prenatal care, childbirth, postpartum care, birth control, abortion care, miscarriage care, and respectful birthing conditions.”
In Missouri, abortion procedures currently are banned with some exceptions. These exceptions include saving the life of or preventing health risks to the pregnant woman. The law that banned abortions went into effect June 24, 2022 after the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization case. According to current Missouri law, if a person qualifies for an exception to receive an abortion they must go through a mandatory 72 hour waiting period and attend counseling prior to the procedure. The use of State Medicaid coverage and private health insurance to cover the costs of an abortion are also banned, except in specific situations. If the person who has qualified for an abortion is a minor, they must obtain consent from at least one parent or guardian to complete the procedure.
Despite the current law in place, Amendment Three is on the ballot because of a petition put forth by the Missourians for Constitutional Freedom campaign. This campaign is made up of volunteers whose initial goal was to get access to abortion on the ballot and is now working to get the amendment passed. The petition to add Section 36 under Article I was initially submitted by the Missourians for Constitutional Freedom to the Missouri Secretary of State March 8, 2023. From there, the group canvassed and collected signatures in various cities in Missouri, including but not limited to St. Louis, Kansas City, Columbia and Kirksville. May 3, 2024, it was announced that 380,159 signatures had been collected and submitted to the Missouri Secretary of State’s office. Finally, by Aug. 13, it was confirmed that enough valid signatures were submitted for Amendment Three to be placed on the ballot.
Some who support the amendment argue that it should be the birthing individual’s choice to make their own health care decisions. Sophomore Ben Croat, member of College Democrats, expanded on this argument.
“We see it as being a fundamental right for individuals to make decisions about their own bodily autonomy,” Croat said. “This amendment would put that back in place and would reinstate a lot of protections that we see as being vital for birthing individuals.”
On the other side of the argument, some say the ballot language needs to be changed. Junior Whitney Pavely, president of Students for Life, described her opposition to the amendment.
“A lot of the language in the amendment is not very clear,” Pavely said. “If you read the actual wording of the amendment it’s a very concise form on the ballot. I think people should know to read the full thing before they go in and vote and not read the little snippets. I think it is useful to see everything in there.”
Both Croat and Pavely stated that going into this election, individuals should do their own research so that they can make their own informed decision about Amendment Three.