Amendment 3 to decide controversial abortion question in Missouri

By Jazmine Knight

Missouri voters will decide the fate of several issues at the ballot box on Nov. 5, including a controversial measure to restore abortion access in the state.

Known as Amendment 3, a “yes” vote would enshrine “a constitutional right to make decisions about reproductive health care, including abortion and contraceptives,” according to the Missouri Secretary of State’s website. Casting a “no” vote would keep current laws barring abortions in Missouri.

Those on both sides of the debate say this amendment, also known as “The Rights to Reproductive Freedom Initiative,” said it’s important for people to research the issue.

Libby Owens, executive director of the St. Joseph Pregnancy Resource Center, opposes the amendment. She said she believes the ballot language is vague and urged voters to read it carefully and understand the initiative before making a decision.

“It declares abortion as a fundamental right for women. Also, it disregards a baby’s ability to feel pain during an abortion,” she said. “This is an extreme amendment that goes from where we are right now to the most radical, pro-abortion legislation in the country.”

Kelly Lacina, a co-leader of the local Persisterhood group, is encouraging voters to vote yes on Amendment 3. She said she believes abortions should be a private decision between the woman, her obstetrician and her family and faith if she chooses.

“No person wants an abortion. No person sets out to get pregnant so that they can have an abortion. It’s not in the plan,” she said.

Lacina said Amendment 3 allows women choices in cases of incest, teen pregnancy and dangerous miscarriages. She also expressed concern that OB-GYNs are leaving the state of Missouri to work elsewhere due to the current law on abortion.

“We have no abortion allowed and they cannot medicate a woman who comes in bleeding and is going to lose a baby,” she said. “They can not medicate her with an abortion drug in order to save her life. So OB-GYNs are leaving”

But Owens said she has concerns about the amendment’s ability to obstruct parental consent for minors seeking abortions and its rules regarding legal recourse when it comes to a provider’s definition of legal viability. The proposed amendment allows health care providers to determine fetal viability with a “good faith judgment,” described as when the fetus is projected to be able to sustain life outside of the womb without “extraordinary medical measures.”

She also added that the amendment requires the government to allow funding for programs or activities for health care providers or individuals obtaining reproductive services, Owens said.

Lacina said that instead of outlawing abortions, she believes good, age-appropriate sexual education and access to birth control will cut down on the procedures.

If the amendment doesn’t pass, Lacina said she has concerns there could be other impacts on reproductive rights. She said some political figures have said they would try to outlaw birth control and IVF treatments next.

“You’re not only talking about birth control as a preventative measure for getting pregnant, you are talking about women who require birth control pills for various and sundry other medical reasons,” she said.

Owens said that even though abortion is illegal in Missouri, she understands many residents are still getting abortions in other states. She encouraged those who are facing that tough choice to take their time making a decision and look at other resources to guide them through.

“Social service agencies, pregnancy resource centers, those types of facilities are available to offer support during a pregnancy journey,” Owens said. “Sometimes just time is important and they could decide later if adoption is best.”

A copy of the proposed amendment can be found on the Missouri Secretary of State’s website, www.sos.mo.gov, under Amendment 3.