Missouri residents and pro-choice advocates react to a speaker during the inaugural Missourians for Constitutionals Freedom petition drive in February.

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Ed Zurga/AP

This story originally appeared as part of NPR's live coverage of the 2024 election. For more election coverage from NPR Network, visit our live updates page.

ST. LOUIS – Missourians have voted to legalize abortion up to fetal viability, overriding the state's current ban on almost all abortions, according to an Associated Press call.

The amendment enshrines abortion rights in the Constitution, despite objections from the state's heavily Republican leadership.

After the fall of Roe v. Wade in 2022 became the first state to ban abortions – including in cases of rape and only with exceptions for medical emergencies. Then abortion rights advocates collected hundreds of thousands of signatures for a vote on the amendment to legalize abortion until the fetus is viable, about 24 weeks.

Although Missouri has become a much more Republican state over the past decade, the passage of the amendment was no surprise. It was partly a response to the state's current law. A campaign committee supporting the amendment raised tens of millions of dollars — and enlisted thousands of volunteers to knock on doors and make phone calls.

Missouri is one of 10 states voting on abortion rights this election.

More: Election results in Missouri

Support for the measure was particularly strong in the state's suburbs. St. Louis County resident Cindy Clark, interviewed ahead of the vote, said the change cast a shadow over the presidential race by pushing her to the polls.

“I grew up in a somewhat conservative household, which is where my Republican views come from, but we are always told that Republicans are the party of limited government,” Clark said. “Well, why are they now invading our doctor’s offices, our classrooms, all these nuances in our lives? This is not limited government. To me, that’s state control.”

Opponents of Amendment 3 argued that it would be better for lawmakers to make changes to Missouri's strict abortion laws. They also argued that the lengthy change would allow transgender children to be cared for, which legal experts and advocates say is a scare tactic and a misrepresentation of what the proposal actually aims to do.

Jason Rosenbaum covers politics for St. Louis Public Radio.