Bishops support ‘yes’ vote on Amendment 3

Missouri’s bishops are calling on the faithful to pray, fast and vote in support of Amendment 3 this November, saying the measure offers an opportunity to reinstate protections for unborn children and safeguards for women’s health.

The newly proposed Amendment 3, which will appear on the Nov. 3 ballot, would limit most abortions except for cases of rape and incest (up to 12 weeks of gestation), emergencies and fetal anomalies. It would also repeal a 2024 voter-approved amendment, which allows for abortions through fetal viability but also offers a broad exception for the “life and physical or mental health of the pregnant person.”

“This year, Missourians will have the opportunity to restore those safeguards by voting for Amendment 3,” the bishops said in a March statement. “The proposed constitutional amendment will protect women’s health and safety and restore protections for the unborn. We ask the faithful and all people of good will to join us in prayer and fasting for the success of Amendment 3 and to support each human person from conception to natural death.”

The bishops noted that the amendment passed in 2024 “enshrined a sweeping right to abortion in the state constitution.” It also eliminated the legislature’s ability to set safeguards for the abortion industry, including a requirement that only doctors perform abortions, parental consent for minors receiving abortions and licensing and inspection requirements, the bishops said.

If approved by voters, the new ballot question would severely limit the number of abortions in the state, require abortion clinics to meet high standards for safety and cleanliness, ensure parental or judicial consent for minors, prohibit gender transition procedures for minors and severely limit public funding for abortion services.

While Amendment 3 would not return Missouri to the near-total abortion ban that followed the 2022 Dobbs decision, it would reduce the number of abortions in the state and restore the legislature’s ability to set regulations around women’s and children’s health, Missouri Catholic Conference executive director Jamie Morris said.

Jamie said there is a need to educate voters who are unaware of the upcoming amendment or who don’t understand what it would do. Getting the bishops’ statement out early was an effort to show that the Church supports a “yes” vote on Amendment 3, and they ask Catholics to inform other voters on the issue and to pray and fast for a successful campaign, he said.

“It’s going to be so beneficial having those initial conversations with family and friends,” Jamie said. “By talking to (others), this will be helpful for when we need to engage and get the vote out. It’s about laying the proper foundation now.”

To learn more about Amendment 3, visit mocatholic.org/amendment-3/ or archstl.org/yes-on-3. Read more stories from the St. Louis Review on Amendment 3 at www.stlouisreview.com/topic/amendment-3-2026-election/