November 2, 2026
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (BP) – Missouri Southern Baptists are heavily campaigning for voters to approve a constitutional amendment reversing a 2024 ballot initiative that enshrined abortion rights in the state constitution.
Amendment 3 would outlaw abortion except in cases of rape and incest, reinstituting a legislatively approved law that protected unborn life in the state immediately after the U.S. Supreme Court reversed Roe v. Wade.
Abortion was legal until fetal viability in Missouri before the high court reversed Roe v. Wade, but immediately became illegal after the high court’s action allowed a state law banning abortion to take effect. That was short-lived, as voters narrowly reinstituted abortion rights in a 2024 ballot initiative. As passed, the current law allows abortions until fetal viability, generally reached at 23 or 24 weeks of pregnancy.
On Nov. 3, voters will have a second chance to protect life, spurring Southern Baptists and other Christians in the public square to maximize the opportunity.
Missouri Baptist Convention Executive Director Wes Fowler has widely advocated for life ahead of the vote, appearing on an Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission podcast, writing an editorial in the MBC news journal The Pathway, and applauding the MBC’s passage of a resolution supporting the amendment.
“I’m the first to admit that Amendment 3 doesn’t go far enough – it allows exceptions for incest, rape, and fetal anomalies (circumstances where life outside the womb is impossible) – but it’s so much better than what we have now,” Fowler wrote Oct. 13 in The Pathway. “Frankly, what we have now is a wide-open killing field for the unborn. It’s absolutely tragic,” he said, surmising that “future generations will be appalled by our lack of regard for the most vulnerable among us.”
Messengers to the 2026 MBC annual meeting earlier this week passed the resolution “Supporting Compassion and Care for Women, Children, Babies (Born and Unborn) and Families of Missouri,” viewable on page 5 of the linked bulletin.
Messengers resolved to continue advocating for the lives of unborn babies, specifically voiced their support for amendment 3, vowed to continue to work “in love and compassion” through Missouri Southern Baptist churches “to reach out in a Christlike manner to share Christ with women and families in need,” and to work with legislators “to protect and nurture all families as defined by God.”
The Missouri Baptist Christian Life Commission produced an explanatory brochure urging voters to approve the amendment.
“Unfortunately the abortion industry funded a deceptive effort to legalize abortion in Missouri. Under the guise of a ‘Right to Reproductive Freedom,’ abortion advocates managed to enshrine abortion in Missouri’s state constitution,” the brochure reads. “On November 3, stand for life at the ballot box. Vote yes on amendment 3.”
Jonathan Swan, associate pastor of education and discipleship at First Baptist Church O’Fallon, Mo., and an adjunct instructor at the St. Louis extension campus of Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, advocated for the amendment as early as March.
“We should make our decision with a clear understanding of the reality on the ground,” Swan wrote in a March 3 editorial in World. “The current constitution considers abortion a ‘fundamental right,’ with protections that will make it nearly impossible for legislators to regulate. This scenario will ultimately lead to widespread, easy access to abortion with little to no safety standards for mothers.”
Approving the amendment would “drastically reduce the number of abortions possible,” Swan wrote.
Others, including Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe and his wife Claudia, Roman Catholics, also support the amendment.
“We believe people of faith can make the difference in this election, but it will take all of us. … We respectfully ask you to encourage the members of your organizations and congregations to vote yes on Amendment 3 on November 3,” the two wrote in a letter posted on Facebook Oct. 27. “This is our opportunity to stand together for life, for families and for the most vulnerable among us.”
Amendment 3 also protects minors from medical sex-change procedures.
Specifically, the amendment would, as titled:
The Southern Baptist Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission published an explainer here on the ballot measure.
___
This article appeared in Baptist Press.
Share with others
