Proponents of Missouri's abortion amendment say the fight is not over

Proponents of Amendment 3 say the fight to restore abortion access in Missouri is far from over.

voters on Tuesday agreed to the ballot initiative This enshrines the right to abortion in the Missouri Constitution. Planned Parenthood officials at the time sued to overturn Missouri's abortion ban and other laws, they say, place an unnecessary burden on patients and providers.

At a rally Thursday, supporters of Amendment 3 said they expect legal challenges from lawmakers who oppose abortion.

“We will have lawsuits and legislative fights and countless opportunities to take action,” Mallory Schwarz, executive director of Abortion Action Missouri, told the crowd of about 100 people gathered at Planned Parenthood's clinic in the Central West End. “The only way we can continue to be successful in this effort is if the people who showed up last year continue to show up and bring their neighbors with them too.”

Planned Parenthood is asking a judge to overturn the state's near-total abortion ban. An injunction would allow the provider to resume offering abortions in the state beginning early next month.

Sophie Proe

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St. Louis Public Radio

Amendment 3 allows abortions until the fetus is viable or up to 24 weeks of pregnancy.

Abortion opponents in the Missouri Legislature have said they will continue to fight to restrict the procedure.

“This will not be the last time Missourians vote on so-called 'reproductive rights,' which has been co-opted by the left to include gender reassignment surgeries for children without parental consent,” said Sen. Mary Elizabeth Coleman, R-Arnold, said in a statement after the amendment was passed. “I will do everything in my power to ensure the vote takes place.”

Ashley Jaworski, an abortion rights supporter who attended the rally, said she knows collecting signatures won't be the end.

“I expect there will be a lot of litigation in the next few months,” she said. “We will do telephone banking. We will email people. We will meet and strategize.”

Change 3 confronted several challenges by activists and elected officials, including Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey, before making it onto this week's ballot.

Rally speaker Sam Hawickhorst said supporters of Amendment 3 must remain committed to reinstating abortion in the state. Instead of knocking on doors and doing phone banking, volunteers may have to travel to Jefferson City.

“There may be more committee hearings where we need people to show up. There could be open hearings where like-minded people like us can show up, sit there and have our voices heard,” she said. “It’s very empowering to share your story and look directly in the eyes of a legislator who wants to legislate against your own existence.”

Attendee Nancy O'Brien said lawmakers have taken a long time to enact more progressive ballot measures in the past, such as when voters approved expanding Medicaid to more people in 2020.

“They need to lift this ban, so we anticipate that we'll probably have to go to Jefferson City and talk to our representatives when they're back in office,” she said. “Just do what we can and it will be a lawsuit.”