Holle Ritter | Contributing Illustrator

In 2024, Missouri voters successfully amended the state constitution, protecting the right to reproductive freedom and effectively legalizing abortion. Now, Missourians’ right to abortion is under attack once again with the newly proposed Amendment 3. Amendment 3 aims to “prohibit abortion and gender transition procedures for minors,” meaning that if it were to pass, all abortions except in cases of “medical emergencies” — as well as sexual assault, incest, or fetal anomalies — and all gender-affirming care for minors, including puberty blockers and hormonal therapy, will be prohibited. 

The coupling of prohibiting gender-affirming care and abortion on the ballot is intentional: It is an attempt to utilize transphobia to push a conservative agenda. Not only does Amendment 3 undermine the will of the people, but it also threatens citizens’ right to privacy and dignity in medical care. 

Amendment 3 is nowhere near the first piece of Missouri legislation that attacks the rights of transgender people. Senate Bill 39, passed in 2023, prevents transgender women and girls from competing in school sports. Senate Bill 49, passed in the same year, prohibits transgender minors from receiving gender-affirming surgeries or treatments. Amendment 3 is practically a rewriting of this bill, only wrapping abortion into the amendment as well.  

Here, a question arises: What is the point of prohibiting gender-affirming care for minors when it has already been outlawed?

It is reasonable to infer that the point is to utilize the general public’s fear of transgender people in order to persuade voters into outlawing abortion in Missouri once again. An ad in favor of Amendment 3 focuses solely on the “transgender agenda” and the threat that it poses to children, never once mentioning the word “abortion.” It is clear in the marketing of this bill that lawmakers want voters to focus on the gender-affirming care aspect of the amendment and are using fearmongering tactics to ensure people vote to “protect children” while consequently banning abortion as well. 

This has happened before in Missouri. During the 2024 election, fearmongering resulted in ranked-choice voting being outlawed in Missouri. The state government advertised Amendment 7 as preventing banoncitizens from voting when its actual intent was to ban ranked-choice voting. There was already state and federal legislation that made it illegal for noncitizens to vote, while different versions of ranked-choice voting were being used in local elections when this amendment was voted on. We see this tactic being used again with Amendment 3. Not only is it duplicitous, but it also actively works against the will of the people.

We must keep focus on what’s truly at stake with this legislation. Not only does Amendment 3 threaten the well-being of transgender minors, but it also presents a general right to privacy for all citizens. 

In order to determine who is being prescribed hormones for gender-affirming purposes and who is getting abortions for “medical emergencies,” patient records must be analyzed to determine doctors’ reasoning behind certain methods of care. This adds a third party in the patient care process, with medical decisions not just being made between patient and doctor, but the government as well. The government’s self-insertion in this situation goes against the right to privacy we all deserve. 

If doctors are scared to provide what is medically necessary for the patient, all of us are at risk of government-permitted medical neglect.

Don’t allow lawmakers to take advantage of any biases you may have in order to force your hand and achieve their agenda. Hormone therapy has uses outside of gender reassignment, such as treating menopause and hormone-related cancers. Abortions for “medical emergencies” can be arbitrary, and passing the amendment would enact barriers for doctors and patients to make decisions they deem medically necessary. Everyone deserves the agency of making decisions for their own health.

Protect your rights and the rights of others by voting NO on Amendment 3.