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. 

WashU, like most other majority-liberal universities, is a bubble; however, Missouri is not. Some of the communities most impacted by this year’s election results are just outside the gates of WashU, and stepping out of the campus ecosystem is a crucial step in enacting real change.

 In an exit poll conducted by Student Life, 448 voters at the WashU Athletic Complex overwhelmingly supported Democrats, including Kamala Harris for President, Lucas Kunce for Senate, and Wesley Bell for the House of Representatives. Abortion was named a key issue for a majority of voters, and more than 90% of respondents supported Amendment 3.

As college students, we need to understand and talk about how abortion bans affect us and our close communities. As human beings, we need to understand, discuss, and feel outraged about abortion bans for what they are — a public-health crisis.

This election day, Missouri voters will be deciding on a number of issues more than just who will be the next president or governor.

Washington University has stepped into the political arena this election with their staunch opposition to Amendment 3.

Amendment 3, one of the proposed changes to Missouri’s constitution that will appear on Missouri ballots Nov. 8, has voters split due to its scope of issues and precise wording. Though Washington University generally makes a commitment to remaining politically neutral, it has taken a public stance against the proposal.