Jefferson City, Missouri - Six months after Missouri voters approved the abortion rights amendment, Republican state lawmakers on Wednesday approved a new referendum that would seek the repeal of the amendment, banning most abortions, with exceptions to rape and incest.

The newly proposed constitutional amendment will return to voters in November 2026 or sooner if Republican Gov. Mike Kehoe convenes a special election before that.

Republican senators took a series of rare procedural moves to cut off discussions against Democrats before passing a proposed abortion rights revision by a 21-11 vote. The measure passed the Republican-led house last month.

After the vote, protesters immediately erupted with a shout of "Stop the ban!" and was taken out of the Senate.

The Senate then blocked further democratic debate and eventually approved a separate measure to a voter-approved law to repeal the law, guaranteeing paid sick leave for workers and the cost of living increased to minimum wage. The measure will not return to the vote. Instead, when Kehoe expresses support, it will become law.

The Senate effectively ended its annual legislative session after a comprehensive vote - two days before the constitutional deadline to end work.

Democrats are angry at the legislative action and vow to any Senate work in the Senate next year for retaliation.

"Our rights are under attack," Democratic Sen. Brian Williams said in the debate, accusing Republicans of "trying to overturn voters' will."

Republicans believe they just offer voters a second chance to have abortion and believe they will change their minds due to new rape and incest exceptions.

Republican Senator Mary Elizabeth Coleman said in an explanation of her efforts to abolish the abortion rights amendment: “Abortion is the biggest tragedy in the world.” If someone is about “take the lives of innocent people, then you can justify everything you want.”

Some Republican lawmakers say they need to repeal the paid sick leave requirement kicked out on May 1 because it increases the cost of threatening the financial viability of small businesses. Republicans have been negotiating with Democrats, replacing substitutes, exempting only the smallest businesses, then repealing them, and then choosing to repeal them all.

Missouri lawmakers have a history of changing the policies approved by voters. They have previously tried to block voter-approved funding for Medicaid expansion and have made changes to voter-approved measures to regulate dog breeders and legislative reallocation.

Missouri has seen a sharp decline in abortion policies in recent years.

When the U.S. Supreme Court overturns Roev in 2022. When the Wade case ended abortion rights nationwide, it triggered a Missouri law to prohibit most abortions from going into effect. But activists of abortion rights holders gathered proactive petitions to reverse that goal.

Last November, Missouri voters narrowly approved a constitutional amendment that guarantees the right to abortion until the fetus’ viability, often considered sometime during pregnancy. The amendment also allows later abortion to protect the life or health of pregnant women and creates “the fundamental right to reproductive freedom” that includes birth control, prenatal and postpartum care, and “respectful delivery conditions.”

There have been a limited number of surgical abortions in Missouri since then, but drug abortions are still on hold while Planned Parenthood is quarreling with the state over abortion regulations.

The new measure aims to abolish amendments to the right to abortion and allow only abortion to be used in medical emergency or fetal abnormalities, or in the case of rape or incest, up to 12 weeks of pregnancy. It will also ban gender transition surgery, hormone therapy and pubertal blockers for minors, who have been banned under state law.

The poll shows: “Most voters oppose most abortions in Missouri but do want to allow them, but limited exceptions.”

The ballot name voters will see does not explicitly mention the repeal of amendment 3. Instead, it said the new measures will “ensure women’s safety during abortion, ensure consent to parents of minors” and “allow medical emergencies, fetal abnormalities, rape and incest abortions.” It also noted that it would “protect children from gender shifts” and other regulations.

Democratic Senator Tracy McCreery called the measure “trying to mislead and lie to voters”, responding to similar Republicans’ allegations against Original Amendment 3.

A coalition of abortion rights, including Planned Parenthood, the American Civil Liberties Union and others plan to hold a rally at the Missouri Capitol and vow to oppose the vigorous movement of the measure.

“Six months ago, the state won the right to abortion and marked my words: Missouri will protect reproductive freedom again,” said Emily Wales, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood Great Plains Voting.