Missouri bishops back amendment to limit abortion, gender transition for minors

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (OSV News) — The Catholic bishops of Missouri on March 26 issued a statement offering their support to a ballot measure that would both limit abortion and certain types of medical or surgical gender reassignment procedures for minors who identify as transgender.

In the joint statement from the Missouri Catholic Conference on Amendment 3, Archbishop Mitchell T. Rozanski of St. Louis, Bishops James V. Johnston, Jr. of Kansas City-St. Joseph, Ralph B. O’Donnell of Jefferson City, and Edward M. Rice of Springfield-Cape Girardeau, said they “are committed to protecting the sanctity and dignity of all human life, including the poor and needy, refugees and immigrants, prisoners on death row, and mothers and children.”

“In Missouri, this dignity is being threatened by the pro-abortion amendment passed in 2024,” the bishops said. “That amendment enshrined a sweeping right to abortion in the State Constitution and eliminated the legislature’s ability to set common-sense safeguards for the abortion industry, including the requirement that only doctors perform abortions, the requirement that parents be notified and give consent before their minor child has an abortion, and the requirement that abortion clinics be licensed and inspected.”

The Catholic Church teaches that all human life is sacred from conception to natural death, and as such, opposes direct abortion while at the same time having concern for both mother and child and calling for strengthened support for those living with poverty or other risk factors for abortion.

Missouri had a ban on most abortions, which went into effect after the U.S. Supreme Court issued its 2022 Dobbs vs. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision, but the state’s voters rejected it in 2024.

“This year, Missourians will have the opportunity to restore those safeguards by voting for Amendment 3,” the bishops continued. “The proposed constitutional amendment will protect women’s health and safety and restore protections for the unborn.”

They added, “We ask the faithful and all people of good will to join us in prayer and fasting for the success of Amendment 3 and to support each human person from conception to natural death.”

Missouri enacted restrictions on medical or surgical gender reassignment procedures for minors in 2023. However, the measure included a sunset provision, and so is set to expire Aug. 28, 2027. State lawmakers have advanced legislation to repeal that sunset provision.

Missouri voters in 2024 approved a constitutional amendment that overturned the state’s ban on abortion. However, polling suggests the ban on medical or surgical gender reassignment procedures for minors is driving increased support for Amendment 3 more than abortion concerns.

A recent poll by St. Louis University and British pollster YouGov found 47 percent of likely voters said they support the amendment, 40 percent said they oppose it, and another 12 percent said they were not sure.

However, the same poll found 59 percent of respondents said it should be legal to have an abortion in the first 8 weeks, dropping to 47 percent at 12 weeks and 35 percent to 15 weeks.

According to a 2025 analysis of Missouri’s abortion data by the Charlotte Lozier Institute, 60 percent of abortions took place before 9 weeks of gestation; 16 percent between 9-10 weeks of gestation; and 7 percent between 11-12 weeks; and 4 percent between 13 and 14 weeks.

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