Catholic Bishops in Missouri are Urging Catholics to Vote Yes on Pro-life Amendment 3

Catholic bishops in Missouri are urging Catholics to Vote Yes on Pro-life Amendment 3.
Missouri Amendment 3 on the November 3, 2026, ballot is a legislatively referred constitutional amendment designed to "restore meaningful protections for women and unborn babies" approved by voters in 2024 and establish new constitutional restrictions on abortion and gender transition procedures of underaged children. [1, 2]

The measure represents a direct effort by the Missouri General Assembly to protect the unborn (which allowed abortion up to birth) [1, 2, 3]

---

Statement of the Missouri Catholic Conference
Urging Catholics to Vote Yes on Pro-life Amendment 3
We, the Catholic Bishops of Missouri, have a solemn duty to defend the dignity of every person and to stand for those whose lives and well-being are most vulnerable, including pregnant women, unborn babies, and children. On November 3, Missouri voters will consider Amendment 3, which would repeal the most harmful provisions of the 2024 amendment that regrettably enshrined a broad right to abortion in our state constitution.
Amendment 3 would restore meaningful protections for women and unborn babies that were stripped away in 2024. It would allow Missouri once again to require basic health and safety standards for clinics, safeguard parental rights, and substantially limit abortion in our state, while also ensuring that women continue to have access to medical care for emergencies, ectopic pregnancies, and miscarriages. Furthermore, Amendment 3 would permanently protect boys and girls by prohibiting destructive gender-transition procedures, including surgeries, puberty blockers, and cross-sex hormones, in the state constitution. Although Amendment 3 is not perfect, it would be a significant step toward restoring protections for women and children in Missouri. As Catholics, we do not leave our faith at the door when we enter the public square. Our baptism calls us to follow Jesus Christ in every part of our lives, including the responsibilities we have as citizens. Pope Benedict XVI reminded us that “worship pleasing to God can never be a purely private matter,” calling us to bear public witness to fundamental values, including the defense of human life from conception to natural death (Sacramentum Caritatis, 83).
That witness begins with a truth that cannot be reduced to a matter of political preference: Every human life is sacred because every person is created in the image and likeness of God. The protection of innocent human life is therefore a matter of fundamental moral justice. Brothers and sisters in Christ, we cannot be indifferent when our own state constitution fails to safeguard those who most need its protection. We urge you to pray and fast, to speak with your family and friends, and to continue working to pass Amendment 3. Stand with the unborn child who cannot speak for himself or herself. Stand with the woman who deserves accompaniment and care, not an unregulated abortion at an unsafe clinic. Stand with the child who deserves the freedom to grow and mature without being subjected to harmful life-altering procedures.
Whether you vote early or vote on November 3, vote YES on Amendment 3.
CATHOLIC BISHOPS OF MISSOURI
Most Reverend James V. Johnston, Jr. Vice Chairman
Bishop of Kansas City-St. Joseph Most Reverend Mitchell T. Rozanski General Chairman
Archbishop of St. Louis Most Reverend Ralph B. O’Donnell Executive Chairman
Bishop of Jefferson City Approved October 5, 2026 11 Most Reverend Edward M. Rice Bishop of Springfield-Cape Girardeau