Burlison says Missouri abortion vote is more important than any political race

"This goes beyond politics. This is a moral and a spiritual issue."

Southwest Missouri Congressman Eric Burlison says Missouri's abortion amendment is more important than any individual political race on the November 3 ballot.

During an interview on the KZRG Morning Newswatch, the southwest Missouri congressman strongly endorsed Amendment 3, which would repeal the abortion-rights protections Missouri voters approved in 2024.

It would allow Missouri to restrict most abortions, with exceptions for medical emergencies, certain fetal anomalies, and pregnancies resulting from rape or incest within the first 12 weeks.

It would also prohibit gender-transition procedures for minors, with limited medical exceptions.

Missouri voters approved constitutional protections for abortion in 2024 with 51.6% of the vote.

Burlison expressed frustration with that decision, arguing the language adopted two years ago went further than most Missourians intended.

"While I would love for it to go further, further and go all the way," Burlison said, as he believes the proposed amendment would save thousands of lives.

He called passage of the measure his top priority on Election Day.

"This is the most important thing that I think that we can do on Election Day," Burlison said.

The measure remains closely contested. An August poll found 43% of likely Missouri voters supported Amendment 3, while 44% opposed it and 13% remained undecided.

Republicans face uncertainty ahead of midterms

Burlison also addressed the possibility of Republicans losing control of the U.S. House or Senate in November.

Asked whether Republican leadership has developed a contingency plan to advance President Donald Trump's agenda if Democrats take control, Burlison said those conversations are not taking place at the leadership level.

"It's not really something that leadership is having," Burlison said.

However, he acknowledged informal discussions outside the Republican conference about what lawmakers might accomplish during the lame-duck session between Election Day and the beginning of the next Congress.

Burlison said Republicans could still advance legislation during that period, regardless of the election outcome, although they would remain constrained by their narrow congressional majority.