Abortion: Missouri gubernatorial candidates are divided

This was underscored by the way the two candidates responded to the Missouri Supreme Court's decision to put Amendment 3 back on the general election ballot.

If passed by a majority of Missourians, the Third Amendment would enshrine abortion rights in the state constitution, overriding a law signed by Governor Mike Parson in 2019 that bans abortion in all but medical emergencies.

The abortion ban came into effect in 2022 after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade.

Following the Supreme Court's decision on Tuesday afternoon, Republican candidate and Lieutenant Governor Mike Kehoe urged Missourians to learn more about the change in the law, calling it a “misleading attempt by out-of-state special interests.”

While Kehoe did not call for a “no” vote, he is sympathetic to the anti-abortion movement and was one of three Republican gubernatorial candidates who urged Missourians not to sign the initiative earlier this year.

In contrast, Representative Crystal Quade, the House Minority Leader and Democratic candidate for governor, said she was “grateful” for the Supreme Court’s decision.

“Voters will repeal Missouri's cruel ban that makes no exceptions for rape and incest, and they deserve a governor who will protect the will of the voters and the rights of every Missourian,” she said in a social media post.

Democrats are counting on the abortion issue to benefit them in the general election, even though Republicans have an advantage in all state elections in deep-red Missouri.

Kehoe, who did not receive an endorsement from Missouri Right to Life in the Republican primary, has indicated he would be open to exemptions to Missouri's strict abortion law in cases of rape and incest, but if Amendment 3 passes, that issue would become moot.