Amendment 3, which will enshrine a woman’s right to an abortion up until fetal viability in the Missouri Constitution, passed with margins of 51.6% to 48.4% on Nov. 5. The amendment, which also protects access to reproductive healthcare like birth control and prenatal care, will go into effect in 30 days. 

Entitled the “Right to Reproductive Freedom Initiative,” the amendment reverses Missouri’s trigger abortion ban, the first to go into effect after Roe v. Wade was overturned by the Supreme Court decision on Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization. Missouri has one of the strictest abortion bans in the nation because it lacks exceptions for rape and incest.

Senior Maddy Molyneux, president of WashU’s chapter of Planned Parenthood Generation Action (PPGA) said that she was thrilled that the amendment passed and sees this as only the first step in the fight for reproductive rights.

“I am elated, excited, and I am also excited to get into the work ahead,” Molyneux said. “The fight has only just begun, and we have a lot of work ahead of us … with reopening clinics and things like that, but I’m excited to begin.”

PPGA is a WashU club, partnered with Planned Parenthood, that is dedicated to educating and fighting for reproductive justice. The group has been advocating for Amendment 3 since last spring, when they helped collect signatures to meet the required 172,000 signatures from registered Missourians needed to get the initiative on the ballot.     

Molyneux mentioned that, while many may have been disappointed by national and state election results, Amendment 3 being passed was a positive part of their election night.

“I got the impression that a lot of people were clinging to this bright spot,” she said. 

Many WashU students and faculty voted in support of the amendment, with 91.3% of the 448 voters who Student Life polled at the Athletic Complex voting in favor of it.     

Junior Tully Jay said he supported Amendment 3 since he believes that women should have a right to regulate their own bodies. 

“The government shouldn’t regulate what people do personally, [that is my] overarching philosophical idea,” Jay said. “Targeting abortion is a very specific attack against women, which is also bad, which just compounds the badness of it.”

One student, who wanted to remain anonymous out of fear of social retaliation, said that while they oppose abortion as they believe life begins at conception, they believe Missouri residents should be allowed to choose their stance on the issue. 

“I am personally opposed to the provisions of the amendment and believe life begins at conception,” the anonymous student said. “As such, I only support abortion access in cases of rape, incest, underage pregnancy, threat to the life or health of the mother, or a birth defect. However, I am in favor of abortion rights being left to the states, and if that’s what a majority of Missourians support, then so be it.” 

Junior Leila Asadi said she was glad abortion rights were enshrined within the state, especially with president-elect Donald Trump winning the presidency, leaving national abortion rights at risk.

“I think that this does go hand-in-hand with states’ rights,” Asadi said. “I know that’s not necessarily [something] people can agree on. But as long as we cement that there is the chance that states can have the right to abortion, then I think that can at least help a lot of women.”

Asadi expressed shock that the amendment passed in Missouri, a traditionally red state.

“I was actually so surprised that it passed,” she said. “I was honestly really shocked, especially as I was watching the election progress, I saw how red Missouri was. I feel like it was more red than previous years.”

Initially, Jay thought Amendment 3 would not meet the threshold necessary for it to pass, so he was surprised when it did. 

“I was watching with my friends and because the Florida one [failed and] came up first [despite having] 57% yes. We were all confused, but Florida has a 60% law for amendments. We looked it up and it said Missouri had the same law. So Missouri was at like, 51% we were like, ‘oh, it’s done.’”

Jay then realized Missouri has a threshold of 50%, rather than 60%, and he was excited to learn the amendment did pass.

Some students, like Asadi, said they were glad that the government is no longer able to dictate what she sees as personal choice. 

“I feel like the government shouldn’t be policing what people do with their own bodies,” Asadi said. “I think laws are meant to keep people safe and also to help create a more civil and orderly society, so just kind of telling people what procedures they can and can’t get, and also telling them how they should live their life [isn’t right].”

Asadi views the passage of the amendment as a point of hope, especially given the political climate of Missouri.   

“I think it provides a little bit of hope [because] a state as red as Missouri is able to protect the rights of women,” Asadi said.