Missouri Poll Shows Support for Amendment 3
Pro-life amendment would also ban trans surgery for kids, protect girls sports
Forty-seven percent of likely Missouri voters, including 70 percent of Republicans, support Amendment 3, a ballot proposition that would repeal Missouri’s constitutional right to an abortion and ban transgender surgery for minors, a poll by St. Louis University and YouGov found.
Missouri House Resolution 3 is a proposed constitutional amendment that would repeal the current Right to Reproductive Freedom Initiative. If approved by voters in November, it would allow abortions only in cases of medical emergencies, fetal anomalies, rape or incest. It also would prohibit public funds from being used for certain abortions; restrict the use of surgeries, hormones or drugs to assist a child with a gender transition; and require consent before an abortion.
The amendment also would establish a venue for cases challenging state laws related to reproductive health care and ensure that a woman’s ability to access care in cases of miscarriages, ectopic pregnancies and other medical emergencies is not infringed by the state. The General Assembly would have the authority to enact laws to carry out these provisions and regulate abortion facilities and abortion providers to ensure the health and safety of the mother.
A majority of respondents opposed legal abortion for any reason. Additionally, a majority also opposed legalizing abortion through 15 weeks’ gestation. Furthermore, a plurality of likely Missouri voters opposed allowing minor girls to obtain abortions without parental consent.
The poll also showed strong public opposition to transgender treatments for minors, with two-thirds of likely voters opposing hormone therapy and puberty blockers for minors. Three-quarters oppose gender transition surgery for minors. These results were consistent with a St. Louis University/YouGov poll that was conducted in August 2023.
“The ballot language bundles together abortion and gender-affirming care restrictions into a single up-or-down vote,” said Steven Rogers, Ph.D., SLU/YouGov poll director and associate professor of political science at St. Louis University. “Our data suggest that for many voters, where they stand on gender-affirming care for minors may play a larger role in shaping their position on this amendment than their views on abortion.”
–Alan Goforth
