A leftist group launched a million-dollar campaign to curb abortion restrictions in Missouri

A campaign backed by major progressive and abortion advocacy organizations has raised over $6.5 million to try to prevent Missouri from reinstating abortion restrictions through a constitutional amendment that will be put to a vote in November. Among its main funders is former New York City Democratic Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who contributed $1.25 million to the opposing effort.

The campaign, called ''Stop the Ban'', was created last year by pro-abortion groups to combat Amendment 3. The goal of the initiative is to prevent Missouri voters from modifying the state constitution again after an amendment approved in 2024 established the constitutional right to abortion and eliminated the restrictions that were in place.

Bloomberg had already financially intervened in the dispute. In 2024, he donated one million dollars to the campaign that promoted that amendment, which was approved with 52% of the votes against 48%. Before that constitutional change, Missouri prohibited abortion except in circumstances related to medical emergencies or when necessary to save the life of the mother.

Now, the same sectors seek to prevent the state from adopting a more restrictive policy again. Among the main members and funders of ''Stop the Ban'' are the ACLU of Missouri, Fairness Project, Planned Parenthood Great Plains Votes, Planned Parenthood Great Rivers Action, Abortion Action Missouri, PROMO, and Beacon Reproductive Health Network.

The magnitude of the resources raised contrasts with the funding available for the groups supporting the new amendment. The main political committee in favor of the measure, ''Hear Health'' and ''Her Future PAC'', had raised around one million dollars. The group is backed by Republican Governor Mike Kehoe and Missouri First Lady Claudia Kehoe.

The proposal to be voted on in November seeks to limit abortions, establishing exceptions for medical emergencies and for pregnancies resulting from rape or incest during the first 12 weeks. Additionally, the initiative would incorporate into the state constitution a ban on gender transition medications and surgeries for minors.

Pro-life groups argue that the reform would allow to regain some of the protections that Missouri lost after the 2024 vote. ''Missouri Right to Life PAC'' is also actively participating in the campaign and has spent approximately $230,000 on promotional activities, including events, posters, and electoral material.

The events following the approval of the 2024 amendment have intensified the dispute. Planned Parenthood and the ACLU of Missouri filed lawsuits against numerous state restrictions on abortion. In June, a Jackson County judge struck down most of those restrictions, allowing access to procedures to be expanded again.

According to reports cited in the case, Planned Parenthood clinics in Kansas City, Columbia, and St. Louis began offering surgical abortions since last year, while centers in Gladstone and Springfield also started providing medication abortions following the June court decision.

The battle in Missouri reflects a broader confrontation within the United States over the future of abortion policies following the 2022 Supreme Court decision that returned much of the authority to regulate it to the states. In Missouri, progressive sectors aim to preserve the expansion approved by voters in 2024, while pro-life groups seek to reverse it.

The strong financial participation of Bloomberg and organizations linked to the progressive movement highlights the influence that national groups and large Democratic donors are willing to exert in a dispute that ultimately must be resolved by the voters of Missouri themselves.