Missouri Senate Republicans ended the legislative session this month by boldly going where they rarely go. They forced not one, but two consecutive votes – one on an abortion ballot measure and another to overturn paid sick leave requirements.
An attempt to ban most abortions again in Missouri is not expected to appear on the election ballot until 2026. So why the rush?
“Next year it will be a hyper-political environment because several of us are terming out of the Senate. And of course, there will be several people trying to get into the Senate. And so, usually in an election year, common sense or any degree of compromise can kind of become pretty elusive,” Senate President Pro Tem Cindy O’Laughlin told Missourinet.
Proposition A’s paid sick leave requirements began this month, so Senate Republicans made it a priority to overturn them this session. After Senate Democrats blocked multiple attempts to vote on the plan, Republicans forced a vote the last week of the legislative session.
“Our feeling was we know that we need to do this, we know that we want to do this, we know we want to give people another look at this issue. And we know that we are going to get Proposition A done, and we might as well go ahead and get this life amendment done also.”
Missouri House Minority Leader Ashley Aune, D-Kansas City, is not the least bit surprised by the Republican move.
“I think that the Republican infighting is never greater than it is in an election year when there are Republican primaries to contend with,” Aune told Missourinet. “I think that the reason that it was a priority this year is for that very reason. Yeah, 2026 could get really contentious on their side of the aisle.”
If passed by voters, the constitutional amendment would allow abortions in cases of rape and incest up to 12 weeks of pregnancy, medical emergencies, and fetal defects. It also includes a ban on gender transitions for children, which is already state law.
Copyright © 2025 · Missourinet