Dinkins: Greetings Friends of the 144th Legislative District!

I have always fought to protect the lives of the unborn and I am proud to have been consistently endorsed by Missouri Right to Life. With that being said, I have concerns about Amendment 3, which will appear on the upcoming ballot. As I’ve spoken about before, this is one of those items placed on the ballot without being vetted. This is a topic that individuals on both sides of the issue feel strongly about, and for that reason, I feel that it should have been thoroughly vetted and the opportunity for constituents to testify. There is much more to this amendment than just the words you see on the ballot. Voters cannot rely on the ballot summary to understand what they are deciding.

I urge you to be informed before you cast your vote. If passed, this amendment will radically change the landscape of our state’s laws and values. Missouri has the strongest pro-life laws of any state in the nation, a status we have worked hard to achieve and protect.

One of the most alarming aspects of this amendment is the elimination of parental consent laws. If this amendment passes, it will enshrine a “right” to abortion in our Missouri Constitution, allowing abortions to be performed on pregnant minors without notice to or consent from their parents. This is a direct assault on parental rights and the family structure that has always been the backbone of our community.

Should our Missouri Constitution be amended to include this “right,” abortion will be permitted for any reason related to “physical or mental health” throughout all nine months of pregnancy—from conception to live birth. This extreme position disregards the sanctity of life at every stage of development.

Amendment 3 completely ignores the unborn child’s right to life and dismisses the numerous alternatives that support both the mother and her child. This callous disregard for life and potential future is something we cannot stand by and accept.

Our state has worked hard to establish health and safety standards for abortion clinics, ensuring that women receive the highest standard of care. Amendment 3 would gut these standards, allowing some unlicensed individuals to perform or induce abortions, putting countless women at risk. Amendment 3 would open the door to allowing non-physicians to perform certain kinds of abortions and to prescribe the drugs for so-called 'medical' abortions. It could end up allowing non-physicians to work in teams so that one non-physician remotely guides another non-physician in performing the procedure. Distance from a hospital in case of emergencies could be ignored. Missourians do not want to see such procedures to be in the hands of non-physicians.

Missouri is proudly pro-life, with over sixty sections of our Revised Statutes devoted to protecting life at all stages. If Amendment 3 passes, all of these laws will be eliminated. This amendment would undermine everything we have fought for over the years, stripping away the protections that safeguard the most vulnerable among us.

Another consequence of this amendment is the removal of a woman’s ability to seek criminal or civil justice against those who perform or assist in abortions. Women will lose the right to hold medical professionals accountable for malpractice, further eroding their rights and protections.

Our Pregnancy Resource Centers (PRCs) have been a lifeline for women facing difficult decisions, offering support and alternatives to abortion. Amendment 3 would force these centers to refer women for abortions, directly contradicting their mission to protect and preserve life. Current law requires abortion clinics to offer or show a mother her baby’s ultrasound image, giving her a chance to make a fully informed decision. Amendment 3 would eliminate this requirement, depriving women of crucial information at a pivotal moment.

Another concern, this amendment could pave the way for taxpayer-funded abortions. If abortion is enshrined as a “right” in our Missouri Constitution, your elected officials would be powerless to prevent the allocation of taxpayer dollars to abortion providers.

Missouri CURRENTLY allows for exemptions for the health of the mother. Missouri's current law provides exceptions to its abortion prohibition for the health of the mother. It allows abortions when medical conditions "necessitate the immediate abortion of her pregnancy to avert the death of the pregnant woman or for which a delay will create a serious risk of substantial and irreversible physical impairment of a major bodily function of the pregnant woman." Section 188.015(7), RSMo. This amendment will not afford any new protections for mothers when the well-being of the mother is at issue.

As we approach this critical election, I encourage you to study not only Amendment 3 but all of the amendments and consider the far-reaching implications they could have on our state, our families, and our future. Missouri’s values are on the line, and it is up to each of us to protect them.

As always, please do not hesitate to reach out with any questions, concerns, or suggestions you might have. As your Representative, I am here to assist you however I can. I can be reached by email at Chris.Dinkins@house.mo.gov or by phone at (573) 751-2112. Please do not contact me via social media. These messages are easy to overlook and may not be responded to in a timely manner.

CHRIS DINKINS serves the 144th District of Missouri. She can be reached by email at Chris.Dinkins@house.mo.gov or by phone at 573-751-2112.