Missouri voters will weigh in next year on whether to reinstate a ban on abortion except for in cases of rape, incest or medical emergencies within 12 weeks of gestation.
But that 2026 ballot measure might not be the end of the conversation about how Missouri should regulate the procedure, according to Missouri House Speaker Jonathan Patterson, a Lee's Summit Republican.
The state legislature sent a new proposal to voters just before ending the session earlier this month. Opponents decried the move for disrespecting the will of the voters — who in November approved a constitutional amendment to legalize abortion — but Patterson disagrees.
If last November's vote to legalize abortion had failed, he argued, pro-choice advocates would have tried to put it back on the ballot again.
"I think what you'll see is we'll be voting on abortion in '26 and you'll be voting on abortion in '28 as well, and probably '30," he said. "I think what you're seeing is both sides having their say, and that the citizens will probably come to an agreement somewhere in the middle, which is where I think most citizens are about abortion."
Patterson was the only House Republican to vote against the abortion amendment, and had expressed concerns about limiting exceptions to just 12 weeks of pregnancy.
Patterson joined KCUR's Up To Date to discuss Missouri's legislative session, including efforts to pass state funding for the Chiefs and Royals stadiums, plus property tax relief for seniors and his priorities for the 2026 session.
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