A campaign in Missouri aimed at restoring abortion access has raised a substantial amount of money ahead of the upcoming election. The campaign, known as Missourians for Constitutional Freedom, has reported bringing in over $14 million in funding between July and September, totaling close to $22 million overall. The goal of this campaign is to overturn the state’s near-total abortion ban and is part of a larger movement across nine states to protect abortion rights through state constitutions.
With nearly $11 million in the bank at the beginning of October, the campaign is planning to allocate these funds towards advertising in the final weeks leading up to the November 5th election. Notable donors to the Missouri campaign include model Karlie Kloss, who contributed $50,000, and former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who donated $1 million last month. Other significant supporters include organizations such as Planned Parenthood, the American Civil Liberties Union, Sixteen Thirty Fund, and The Fairness Project.
On the opposing side, a Missouri political action committee against the abortion-rights amendment has raised approximately $212,000 and had minimal funds remaining at the start of October. In contrast, the political action committee of Missouri Right to Life, a prominent anti-abortion group, has already spent over $637,000 in opposition to the amendment.
Initiative petition campaigns in Missouri are known to be costly, and similar abortion-related ballot measures in other states have also required substantial financial resources. For example, a 2022 battle over abortion rights in Ohio amassed a total of $70 million, with supporters contributing nearly $40 million and opponents spending over $30 million. Ultimately, the reproductive rights amendment passed with a majority vote of 57% in Ohio.
This year, abortion rights groups have significantly outpaced their opponents in terms of fundraising, with an almost 8-to-1 margin in campaigns for ballot measures across the country. This financial support underscores the importance and intensity of the ongoing debate surrounding abortion rights and access in the United States.
