Missouri voters reject ballot measure that would have banned abortion in the state

Missouri voters rejected a ballot measure to ban abortion in the state constitution, NBC News projects, preserving abortion access in the state. The ballot measure aimed to impose a new prohibition that would have banned abortion in all cases except “medical emergency, fetal anomaly, rape, or incest.” In the case of rape or incest, an abortion would have been allowed only up to 12 weeks of pregnancy. Missouri narrowly voted to make abortion a state constitutional right in 2024. Before then, it had been the first state to enforce an abortion ban after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022. A “trigger law” took effect immediately after the ruling, banning abortion with no exception for rape or incest. However, abortion now remains legal in the state after the new ballot measure was rejected. In addition to the abortion ban, the measure included language prohibiting gender-affirming surgery on children under 18. It would have also more permanently prohibited hormone therapy and puberty-blocking drugs from being prescribed for the purpose of gender-affirming care for minors. A state law then-Gov. Mike Parson signed in 2023 already imposes the same policies.