Reported recording has Missouri abortion ban backer saying 'we're going to get there'

Missouri voters decide Tuesday whether to repeal the abortion rights amendment they approved two years ago. Supporters of the repeal, also called Amendment 3, have described it as a moderate choice. One of its sponsors, Rep. Ed Lewis, a Republican from Moberly, called it "the middle of the road proposal that allows for some exceptions" ³.

A newsletter report published Oct. 29 points to a different message at a campaign event. Abortion, Every Day, a Substack newsletter openly critical of the measure, says a group called Documented obtained a recording of an Oct. 3 event in support of Amendment 3 and shared it ¹.

According to the newsletter, Susan Klein, director of Missouri Right to Life, said of the measure's exceptions that they were "Not what we all want" ¹. The newsletter quotes her going further about the long-term goal ¹.

Though we would like to protect babies all out right now from the moment of conception, we're going to get there.

The newsletter also quotes state Sen. Adam Schnelting, the measure's Republican Senate sponsor. He said it gives the legislature "the ability to go back in and regulate the practice," and that lawmakers could "find enforcement mechanisms" and "go after companies who illegally provide abortion pills" ¹.

The GOP Files did not hear the recording, and our searches found no other news organization confirming it. The newsletter's reading is that the remarks show "a pathway to a total ban without exceptions" ¹. That is its interpretation, not a court finding or the amendment's text.

What the measure would do

Amendment 3 would repeal the 2024 amendment, which also carried the number 3 and which restored access to abortion up to fetal viability, typically 24 to 26 weeks of pregnancy ⁴. In its place, abortion would be banned except for medical emergencies, fetal anomalies, and rape or incest, with the rape and incest exception ending at 12 weeks ⁴.

It would also let lawmakers regulate abortion, and it would write into the state constitution a ban on gender-affirming care for minors, meaning medical treatment such as puberty blockers for transgender young people ⁴⁹. A "no" vote keeps the 2024 right in place ⁹.

Passage would also allow the state to bring back dozens of abortion rules struck down this summer by Jackson County Circuit Judge Jerri Zhang. They include "a 72-hour waiting period, special licensing requirements for abortion providers and hospital admitting privileges" ².

How each side answers

Schnelting has called the argument that the amendment overturns the will of the people a "specious argument" ⁴. In public, he describes the measure this way ⁴.

critical to protecting women and children and providing Missourians with a measure that is more in line with their values

Sam Lee of Campaign Life Missouri, an anti-abortion lobbyist, offers the supporters' answer to the fear of a tighter ban. Lawmakers could pass regulations, he argues, but they could not ban all abortions or prohibit care in a medical emergency. "It can't be more restricted than what's in the Constitution," he said ³.

That matters because Lee's argument and Klein's reported words are not necessarily in conflict. Lee is describing what the text would allow, while Klein is reportedly describing where her movement wants to end up. The reports we read do not explain how supporters would get from one to the other ¹³.

Opponents say the exceptions would fail in practice even if they stayed on the books. Mallory Schwarz, a spokesperson for the Stop the Ban campaign, said, "We saw previously when there were exceptions in Missouri law that it didn't work" ³. Rep. Jaclyn Zimmermann, a Democrat from Manchester, pointed to the 12-week limit for rape survivors, some of whom may not yet know they are pregnant ³.

it's so difficult for women to prove a rape, anyways.

A fight over who has the last word

The 2024 amendment passed with 51.6% of the vote, and both sides are now framing the closing days as a fight over power ². Schwarz put it plainly ³.

The bottom line is overturning the will of the people is not middle of the road

Former Attorney General Andrew Bailey told a Yes on 3 rally in Arnold on Oct. 27 that "voters were deceived by the lie behind reproductive freedom a few years back" ². Attorney General Catherine Hanaway asked the crowd if they would "stand up to that judge who overruled every single safety protection for women" ². In fact, Zhang left some rules standing, including requirements that medication abortion be given in person and that only doctors perform abortions or prescribe the medication ².

Two other measures on the same ballot feed that argument. Proposition A is a referendum on the congressional map Republicans drew last year. Amendment 6 would require 80% support in both legislative chambers before lawmakers could send a change to a citizen-passed law back to voters ²⁹.

The money and the polls

Opponents have a large cash advantage, and neither side's money is fully transparent. Stop the Ban has raised more than $27 million this year, mostly from large out-of-state donors and progressive nonprofits that do not disclose their donors ². Her Health, Her Future, the main campaign for the ban, has raised more than $7 million, including $2.9 million from a new nonprofit that does not name its donors ².

An adviser to that campaign, James Lawson, said the nonprofit lets donors give "without putting a target on their backs," and he said "99%" of funding across the nonprofit and its political committee comes from Missourians ⁶. Separately, a committee launched by Bailey and U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley, a Missouri Republican, reported a $1 million donation from America Next Inc., a Louisiana nonprofit that does not disclose donors ².

Polls show a coin flip. A Missouri Scout/Remington survey of 684 likely voters, taken Oct. 14-15, found a 43% to 43% tie with 14% undecided ⁸. A Saint Louis University/YouGov poll of 900 likely voters in August had 44% opposed and 43% in support, with a margin of error of about 4 points ⁷⁸.

Older voters may be part of that shift. Steven Rogers, who directs the university's poll, said growing opposition since February "came from several groups, including young, elderly and male Missourians," though the report did not give figures for those groups ⁷.

Churches are working both sides. The Missouri Baptist Convention urged its more than 1,700 churches to back the measure, and all four of the state's Catholic bishops urged a yes vote, while 90 Missouri clergy members signed a letter opposing it ⁵.

The Record

1. Aug 24, 2026A Saint Louis University/YouGov poll ends with 44% opposed to Amendment 3 and 43% in support ⁷⁸.
2. Oct 3, 2026Date of the Amendment 3 campaign event where, a newsletter reports, Klein and Schnelting were recorded ¹.
3. Oct 15, 2026A Missouri Scout/Remington poll ends with the measure tied at 43% to 43% ⁸.
4. Oct 26, 2026A report from the committee launched by Bailey and Hawley shows a $1 million donation from America Next Inc. ².
5. Oct 29, 2026Abortion, Every Day publishes its report on the recording, five days before the vote ¹.

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<h2>Reported recording has Missouri abortion ban backer saying &#39;we&#39;re going to get there&#39;</h2> <p><em>By The GOP Files National Desk. This article first appeared on <a href="https://thegopfiles.com/story/reported-recording-has-missouri-abortion-ban-backer-saying-we-re-going-to-get-there">The GOP Files</a> on Sunday, November 1, 2026.</em></p> <p>Missouri voters decide Tuesday whether to repeal the abortion rights amendment they approved two years ago. Supporters of the repeal, also called Amendment 3, have described it as a moderate choice. One of its sponsors, Rep. Ed Lewis, a Republican from Moberly, called it &quot;the middle of the road proposal that allows for some exceptions&quot; .</p> <p>A newsletter report published Oct. 29 points to a different message at a campaign event. Abortion, Every Day, a Substack newsletter openly critical of the measure, says a group called Documented obtained a recording of an Oct. 3 event in support of Amendment 3 and shared it .</p> <p>According to the newsletter, Susan Klein, director of Missouri Right to Life, said of the measure&#39;s exceptions that they were &quot;Not what we all want&quot; . The newsletter quotes her going further about the long-term goal .</p> <blockquote><p>Though we would like to protect babies all out right now from the moment of conception, we&#39;re going to get there.</p><p>&mdash; Susan Klein, director, Missouri Right to Life, as quoted from a recording by Abortion, Every Day</p></blockquote> <p>The newsletter also quotes state Sen. Adam Schnelting, the measure&#39;s Republican Senate sponsor. He said it gives the legislature &quot;the ability to go back in and regulate the practice,&quot; and that lawmakers could &quot;find enforcement mechanisms&quot; and &quot;go after companies who illegally provide abortion pills&quot; .</p> <p>The GOP Files did not hear the recording, and our searches found no other news organization confirming it. The newsletter&#39;s reading is that the remarks show &quot;a pathway to a total ban without exceptions&quot; . That is its interpretation, not a court finding or the amendment&#39;s text.</p> <h2>What the measure would do</h2> <p>Amendment 3 would repeal the 2024 amendment, which also carried the number 3 and which restored access to abortion up to fetal viability, typically 24 to 26 weeks of pregnancy . In its place, abortion would be banned except for medical emergencies, fetal anomalies, and rape or incest, with the rape and incest exception ending at 12 weeks .</p> <p>It would also let lawmakers regulate abortion, and it would write into the state constitution a ban on gender-affirming care for minors, meaning medical treatment such as puberty blockers for transgender young people . A &quot;no&quot; vote keeps the 2024 right in place .</p> <p>Passage would also allow the state to bring back dozens of abortion rules struck down this summer by Jackson County Circuit Judge Jerri Zhang. They include &quot;a 72-hour waiting period, special licensing requirements for abortion providers and hospital admitting privileges&quot; .</p> <h2>How each side answers</h2> <p>Schnelting has called the argument that the amendment overturns the will of the people a &quot;specious argument&quot; . In public, he describes the measure this way .</p> <blockquote><p>critical to protecting women and children and providing Missourians with a measure that is more in line with their values</p><p>&mdash; Adam Schnelting, Missouri state senator, R, Senate sponsor of Amendment 3</p></blockquote> <p>Sam Lee of Campaign Life Missouri, an anti-abortion lobbyist, offers the supporters&#39; answer to the fear of a tighter ban. Lawmakers could pass regulations, he argues, but they could not ban all abortions or prohibit care in a medical emergency. &quot;It can&#39;t be more restricted than what&#39;s in the Constitution,&quot; he said .</p> <p>That matters because Lee&#39;s argument and Klein&#39;s reported words are not necessarily in conflict. Lee is describing what the text would allow, while Klein is reportedly describing where her movement wants to end up. The reports we read do not explain how supporters would get from one to the other .</p> <p>Opponents say the exceptions would fail in practice even if they stayed on the books. Mallory Schwarz, a spokesperson for the Stop the Ban campaign, said, &quot;We saw previously when there were exceptions in Missouri law that it didn&#39;t work&quot; . Rep. Jaclyn Zimmermann, a Democrat from Manchester, pointed to the 12-week limit for rape survivors, some of whom may not yet know they are pregnant .</p> <blockquote><p>it&#39;s so difficult for women to prove a rape, anyways.</p><p>&mdash; Jaclyn Zimmermann, Missouri state representative, D-Manchester</p></blockquote> <h2>A fight over who has the last word</h2> <p>The 2024 amendment passed with 51.6% of the vote, and both sides are now framing the closing days as a fight over power . Schwarz put it plainly .</p> <blockquote><p>The bottom line is overturning the will of the people is not middle of the road</p><p>&mdash; Mallory Schwarz, spokesperson, Stop the Ban campaign, and Abortion Action Missouri</p></blockquote> <p>Former Attorney General Andrew Bailey told a Yes on 3 rally in Arnold on Oct. 27 that &quot;voters were deceived by the lie behind reproductive freedom a few years back&quot; . Attorney General Catherine Hanaway asked the crowd if they would &quot;stand up to that judge who overruled every single safety protection for women&quot; . In fact, Zhang left some rules standing, including requirements that medication abortion be given in person and that only doctors perform abortions or prescribe the medication .</p> <p>Two other measures on the same ballot feed that argument. Proposition A is a referendum on the congressional map Republicans drew last year. Amendment 6 would require 80% support in both legislative chambers before lawmakers could send a change to a citizen-passed law back to voters .</p> <h2>The money and the polls</h2> <p>Opponents have a large cash advantage, and neither side&#39;s money is fully transparent. Stop the Ban has raised more than $27 million this year, mostly from large out-of-state donors and progressive nonprofits that do not disclose their donors . Her Health, Her Future, the main campaign for the ban, has raised more than $7 million, including $2.9 million from a new nonprofit that does not name its donors .</p> <p>An adviser to that campaign, James Lawson, said the nonprofit lets donors give &quot;without putting a target on their backs,&quot; and he said &quot;99%&quot; of funding across the nonprofit and its political committee comes from Missourians . Separately, a committee launched by Bailey and U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley, a Missouri Republican, reported a $1 million donation from America Next Inc., a Louisiana nonprofit that does not disclose donors .</p> <p>Polls show a coin flip. A Missouri Scout/Remington survey of 684 likely voters, taken Oct. 14-15, found a 43% to 43% tie with 14% undecided . A Saint Louis University/YouGov poll of 900 likely voters in August had 44% opposed and 43% in support, with a margin of error of about 4 points .</p> <p>Older voters may be part of that shift. Steven Rogers, who directs the university&#39;s poll, said growing opposition since February &quot;came from several groups, including young, elderly and male Missourians,&quot; though the report did not give figures for those groups .</p> <p>Churches are working both sides. The Missouri Baptist Convention urged its more than 1,700 churches to back the measure, and all four of the state&#39;s Catholic bishops urged a yes vote, while 90 Missouri clergy members signed a letter opposing it .</p> <p><em>Read the original, with every source linked, at <a href="https://thegopfiles.com/story/reported-recording-has-missouri-abortion-ban-backer-saying-we-re-going-to-get-there">thegopfiles.com</a>. Republished under The GOP Files' <a href="https://thegopfiles.com/republish">free republishing terms</a>.</em></p> <img src="https://thegopfiles.com/api/rp/reported-recording-has-missouri-abortion-ban-backer-saying-we-re-going-to-get-there.gif" alt="" width="1" height="1" style="border:0;width:1px;height:1px">

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Sources

1. Abortion, Every Day, “EXCLUSIVE: Missouri Conservatives Caught on Tape Admitting Amendment 3 Is Path to Total Ban” (2026-10-29). jessica.substack.com/p/missouri-amendment-3-abortion-electio
2. Missouri Independent via Yahoo, “Final pitch over Missouri abortion ban turns to fight over voter power” (2026-10-30). yahoo.com/news/politics/articles/final-pitch-over-missouri-a
3. St. Louis Public Radio via KCUR, “Amendment 3 backers call it a 'middle of the road' abortion ban. Critics say it disrespects voters” (2026-10-27). kcur.org/politics-elections-and-government/2026-10-27/missou
4. ABC News, “Abortion is on the ballot in Missouri again. Here's what to know about Amendment 3” (2026-10-27). abcnews.com/Health/abortion-ballot-missouri-amendment-3/stor
5. Missouri Independent via KCUR, “Missouri pastors take opposing sides in fight over anti-abortion amendment” (2026-10-31). kcur.org/politics-elections-and-government/2026-10-31/missou
6. Missouri Independent via KCUR, “New Missouri anti-abortion nonprofit pours $2.9 million into Amendment 3 campaign” (2026-10-18). kcur.org/health/2026-10-18/missouri-amendment-3-donations-he
7. Missouri Independent via News Tribune, “Latest Missouri poll finds another razor-thin race” (2026-09-13). newstribune.com/news/2026/sep/13/latest-missouri-poll-finds-
8. Chesterfield Valley Post, “Missouri Amendment 3 Poll Shows 43-43 Deadlock” (2026-10-20). chesterfieldvalleypost.com/articles/missouri-amendment-3-pol
9. Beacon: Missouri, “Amendment 3 and other ballot measures: What your vote means” (2026-10-14). thebeaconnews.org/stories/2026/10/14/missouri-amendment-3-ba

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