If passed, Amendment 3 will:

Allow Late Term Abortions. Amendment 3 would restore the right to abortion up to the point of fetal viability, around 24 weeks, and even beyond if the mother’s life or health is at risk. The amendment’s language includes exceptions for the health of the mother, which can be interpreted broadly to include mental, emotional, social, economic, and educational factors. This loophole allows for abortions throughout all nine months of pregnancy, even right up to the point of birth.

Threaten Parental Rights. Amendment 3 will undermine parental consent or notification laws. These laws require minors to involve their parents before making decisions about abortion, which many pro-life individuals see as crucial for family involvement in such a life-altering choice. The rights under Amendment 3 are not limited to adults, but can also be asserted by minor children – even against their parents. The language of the Amendment is broad enough to include the right to sex change hormones and surgery.

Endanger Young Girls. Amendment 3 will create a constitutional right to abortion for minor girls of any age, which means girls will not have to tell their parents if they have an abortion — and their parents will not be notified in case of abortion injuries. Prior to Missouri’s current abortion restrictions, many young girls were injured by abortion, some of them permanently. Abortion facilities often did not contact authorities to report assault or exploitation in cases where girls as young as 13 years old sought abortions.

Overturn Pro-Life Laws. Amendment 3 would repeal Missouri’s existing common-sense pro-life laws, including informed consent provisions requiring women to receive information about abortion procedures, inherent risks, fetal development, and a patient’s personal risk factors, as well as waiting periods, which are critical for protecting women and girls. In states where similar amendments have been passed, reporting requirements for surgical abortion and abortion pills, including the age of women and girls who have abortion and injuries from abortion have been abolished.

Eliminate Safety Regulations. The amendment will strip away important health and safety standards for abortion clinics, which are currently in place to protect women from substandard medical care. This will lead to unsafe conditions in abortion facilities. Prior to the enactment of Missouri’s current abortion restrictions, hundreds of Missouri women were injured — and several died — due to abortion complications, most of which were foreseeable.

Constitutional amendments are very difficult, if not impossible, to overturn. If passed, Amendment 3 could only be overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court or by a subsequent Missouri amendment restricting abortion.