Missouri's Amendment 3 Is Tied at 43. Opponents Say the Kids' Ban Is Already Law. It Expires in 2027.

Missouri should make Amendment 3’s protections for children permanent. On Oct. 17, Missouri Scout published the poll. Mark Maxwell shared it on X. The poll put Amendment 3 at 43% yes and 43% no. Another 14% were undecided. It ran Oct. 14-15¹.

In 2024, the abortion amendment this measure would repeal passed 51.6% to 48.4%, ProPublica reports². So what are the undecided being asked to protect?

The Missouri SAFE Act bars surgery on anyone under 18 and bars providers from prescribing puberty blockers or cross-sex hormones to minors for transition. Then comes the sentence that governs the drugs: "The provisions of this subsection shall expire on August 28, 2027³."

Amendment 3 would put a constitutional prohibition on gender-transition procedures for minors. Its fair ballot language would prohibit gender-transition surgeries, cross-sex hormones and puberty-blocking drugs for minors, with exceptions for specified medical conditions. It would also require parental consent for a minor's abortion and allow lawmakers to regulate abortion. It would ban nearly all abortions, with exceptions for medical emergencies, fetal anomalies, and rape or incest under 12 weeks⁴. One yes vote protects the child in the womb, the child in the gender clinic, and the parent's right to consent.

Jamie Reed, a former social worker at a St. Louis transgender clinic, told the Missouri attorney general in 2023 that the Washington University Transgender Center rushed minors into puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones. In September, Reed, a self-described lifelong liberal, told St. Louis County Republicans: "If we talk to people about the trans part of this amendment, we can get it to pass⁵." A February SLU/YouGov poll found that 67% opposed gender-transition medications for minors and 73% opposed surgeries.

Tom Bastian speaks for the campaign against Amendment 3, whose members include the ACLU of Missouri and Planned Parenthood affiliates. He says the ban "will remain banned no matter how people vote⁶." This year a bill striking the sunset passed the Missouri Senate and never got a final House vote, the Kansas City Star reports. Democratic senators filibustered for hours and demanded the ban come out of the measure⁷. No matter how people vote?

Gov. Mike Kehoe told a Her Health, Her Future fundraiser webcast: "People around the country are watching to see what Missouri does⁵." Every Amendment 3 opponent owes Missouri parents a yes or no: should a child be started on puberty blockers once the statute expires³? Missouri families should vote yes on Nov. 3⁴ and put that protection where no filibuster can reach it.

Sources

1. MOScout Weekender: A6 Appears Headed for Passage - Fitz Hits Wilson - Hallway on New Senators and more… — Missouri Scout
2. Missouri’s Amendment 3 Could Repeal Voter-Approved Abortion Rights — ProPublica
3. Missouri Revisor of Statutes - Revised Statutes of Missouri, RSMo Section 191.1720
4. Missouri Amendment 3 would repeal abortion rights voters approved in 2024
5. Transgender care takes center stage in Missouri campaign to reinstate abortion ban
6. In push to ban abortion, Missouri Republicans focus on transgender community
7. Missouri abortion ban would also restrict transgender care. It's already illegal