Abortion rights coalition launches $2M campaign against Missouri Amendment 3
Stop the Ban Missouri raises nearly $2M to fight GOP lawmakers’ attempt to reinstate abortion ban voters rejected in 2024.
JEFFERSON CITY, MISSOURI — A coalition opposing Missouri’s November ballot measure that would reinstate the state’s abortion ban launched its campaign Wednesday, raising nearly $2 million to fight what organizers call a “bait and switch” attempt by Republican lawmakers.
The group, Stop the Ban Missouri, argues that lawmakers are trying to overturn Missouri voters’ 2024 decision that ended the state’s near-total abortion ban. That historic vote made Missouri the first state to overturn a near-total abortion ban through public referendum.
“In America and here in Missouri, we believe our vote is sacred. That the people are the ones who decide. And in 2024, the people of Missouri decided to stop Missouri’s abortion ban,” a voiceover in the coalition’s first advertisement states. “But now, politicians are trying to overturn the will of the people and ban abortion again.”
Amendment 3 Returns to November Ballot
The proposed constitutional amendment was drafted and approved for the ballot by state lawmakers in 2025 as a direct response to the citizen-led reproductive rights amendment that narrowly passed two years ago. Both measures carry the same designation as Amendment 3.
If approved by voters in November, the new Amendment 3 would ban nearly all abortions with limited exceptions for medical emergencies and for survivors of rape or incest. The measure would also constitutionally ban gender-affirming care for minors, codifying restrictions already in place under a 2023 state law.
Coalition Warns of Voter Confusion
Tori Schafer, a spokesperson for Stop the Ban and an attorney with the ACLU of Missouri, criticized lawmakers for what she described as deliberate attempts to mislead voters.
“We know, in this ballot measure, politicians are playing tricky games and trying to confuse Missouri voters,” Schafer said. “And we need to educate voters about the bottom line.”
The campaign’s strategy focuses on reminding voters that they already decided this issue less than two years ago when they approved reproductive rights protections. The coalition has positioned the new amendment as an attempt by state politicians to circumvent the will of Missouri voters.
Early Campaign Funding
Stop the Ban Missouri has already raised nearly $2 million for its opposition campaign, demonstrating significant early financial support for defeating the measure. The funding will support voter education efforts and advertising campaigns leading up to the November election.
The November ballot will mark the second time in three years that Missouri voters will decide on abortion access, following their 2024 decision to end the state’s restrictive abortion laws. Republican lawmakers’ decision to place their own amendment on the ballot sets up another high-stakes vote on reproductive rights in the swing state.
