Supporters of 2026 Amendment 3 claim that closing abortion clinics will reduce the number of abortions obtained by Missouri residents. However, statistics since Missouri’s 2022 abortion ban offer a different perspective.
On June 24, 2022, when the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in the Dobbs ruling, abortion clinics in Missouri largely stopped providing abortions, but it did not stop or even reduce the number of abortions. Many women traveled to other states, particularly Kansas and Illinois, while the majority of others either received abortion pills through out-of-state providers or ordered them via telehealth.
Available estimates suggest that the total number of abortions obtained by Missouri residents increased between 2022 and 2025, even as in-clinic abortions performed inside Missouri remained extremely low.
These numbers raise an important question: Did closing abortion clinics reduce abortions among Missouri residents, or did it largely move them across state lines and onto the internet?
The following data help answer that question and provide important context for Missouri voters considering the proposed 2026 Amendment 3.
Breakdown of Abortions in Missouri:
2022
- In-state clinic: 88
- Out-of-state travel: 2,950
- Telehealth (pills by mail): near O
Total = 3,000
2023
- In-state clinic: 37
- Out-of-state travel: 11,600
- Telehealth: 880
Total = 12,500
2024
- In-state clinic: 41
- Out-of-state travel: 11,740
- Telehealth: 1,800-2,200
Total = 13,600-14,000
2025
- In-state clinic: 159 (partial)
- Out-of-state travel: 11,690
- Telehealth: 3,220
Total = 15,000+
Key takeaway:
From 2022-2025, in-state clinic abortions stayed extremely low. The vast majority of care for Missouri residents came from traveling to Kansas & Illinois clinics or receiving abortion pills by mail from out-of-state providers.
Telehealth more than tripled between 2023 and 2025.
After the Dobbs ruling, Missouri immediately banned almost all abortions. Yet, data showed that more Missouri women actually got abortions after the ban than when the procedure was legal but heavily restricted.
Sources: Missouri Dept. of Health / Lozier Institute (in-state numbers) and Guttmacher Institute (travel & telehealth estimates). Some 2024-2025 figures are still partial or estimated.
Official Missouri State Data
- Missouri Department of Health & Senior Services – Vital Statistics reports 2023 report (PDF): https://health.mo.gov/sites/health/files/2026-07/2023MissouriVitalStatistics.pdf
(Earlier years available via the same MDHSS vital statistics page)
Charlotte Lozier Institute (analysis of state reports) - Missouri 2023 Abortion Reporting: https://.lozierinstitute.org/abortion-reporting=
missouri-2023/ - Missouri 2022 Abortion Reporting: https:// lozierinstitute.org/abortion-reporting=
missouri-2022/
Guttmacher Institute (travel + telehealth estimates) - Monthly Abortion Provision Study (main dashboard): https://www.guttmacher.org/monthly-
abortion-provision-study - 2024 full-year data release: https://www.guttmacher.org/node/300656/printable/print
- Related analysis on stability/travel 2023-2024:https://www.guttmacher.org/report/stability-number-abortions-2023-2024-us-states-without-total-bans-masks-major-shifts-access
Supporting / Secondary Sources - Missouri Right to Life historical statistics PDF (includes in-state numbers): https://missourilife.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/1973_2025_Missouri-Abortion-Statistics.pdf
- Kansas state data (shows Missouri residents traveling there): Kansas Department of Health & Environment annual vital statistics reports (2024 summary referenced in multiple articles)
- News coverage citing Guttmacher telehealth numbers for Missouri (2023 & 2025):https://krcgtv.com/news/local/missourians-getting-abortion-pills-from-out-of-state-providers-quadrupled-since-2023
https://missouriindependent.com/ (search for the same story)
Additional Context - Society of Family Planning #WeCount reports (telehealth trends):https://societyfp.org/research/
wecount/
These are the primary sources behind the in-state clinic numbers (MDHSS/Lozier), out-of-state travel figures, and telehealth/mail-order estimates (Guttmacher).
Conclusion:
Amendment 3 2026 may close clinics, but history shows it will not stop abortions. Instead, it will just result in women either
– traveling to other states to obtain surgical abortions or pills from providers
– ordering pills online and managing their own abortions at home
We believe that abortion is not healthcare and that every human is made in God’s image, including our most vulnerable still in the womb. Amendment 3 is not the answer to the abortion in problem in Missouri. A Personhood amendment to our Missouri Constitution will be filed in just a few short weeks. If approved by the legislature, this could be on our ballot during the next statewide election. Tell your Missouri Representative and Senator to support Personhood to ensure Constitutional protection for EVERY life.
Please vote NO on Amendment 3 on Nov. 3, 2026!
