CMA Calls Members to Rally Against Abortion Expansion Ballot Measures
September 28, 2026
By Tim Millea, M.D.
The Dobbs decision of 2022 was unquestionably a landmark moment in the ongoing opposition to abortion, resulting in the reversal of the devastating Roe v. Wade decision nearly fifty years earlier. However, as a result, it quickly became clear that the battle to protect unborn babies and their mothers would not end. Rather, the terrain for this contest changed, from the federal level to each state. There are now fifty “political test tubes”, with each state charting its individual course in this critically important concern.
In this November’s election, there are four states that will have ballot initiatives related to abortion. Only one of them is intended to strengthen bans on abortion, while the other three, if approved by the voters of those states, would significantly expand the reach and availability of abortion. Here is a summary of each state’s ballot measure, followed by a call for the assistance of ethical physicians.
Idaho
Currently, Idaho has an abortion ban that allows the procedure only in very limited circumstances. However, if Proposition 1 succeeds in November, this ban would be repealed, allowing abortions until fetal viability. Several dozen Idaho physicians, from CMA to the American College of Family Medicine, Christian Medical and Dental Associations, and other pro-life medical groups, have signed on to a public letter asking for a “no” vote from Idahoans. Defeating Prop 1 at the ballot box will send a clear message of support for defenseless life.
Missouri
In 2024, Missouri voters approved Amendment 3, which provided “reproductive rights” provisions as well as abortions until fetal viability. This year, another Amendment 3 is on the ballot and intended to reverse the 2024 measure, banning abortions except for emergent care of the mother and cases of rape and incest. In addition, this year’s Amendment 3 also bans sex-rejecting interventions for transgender minors.
Nevada
Citizen-generated constitutional amendments in Nevada require voter approval in two separate elections. In 2024, that state’s Question 6 passed, calling for abortions until fetal viability. This year provides another opportunity to prevent that from becoming reality. Although Nevada currently allows abortion until 24 weeks of pregnancy, a second approval of Question 6 would make it more difficult for abortion rights to be threatened by a state court.
Virginia
Question 1 in Virginia is intended to establish the “right to reproductive freedom” in the state’s constitution. Virginia law currently allows first and second trimester abortions, but this ballot measure would allow third trimester abortions to “protect the life or physical or mental health” of the mother (italics added). As a result, medical and emotional problems that are not immediately threatening to the pregnant woman’s life would qualify, opening the door for the abortion of a full-term baby.
All these ballot initiatives can be defeated in November. However, a very important force is required for that to happen: the engagement of all pro-life health care professionals is needed. When the medical community speaks out in these debates, publicly and prominently, the citizenry takes note. In Florida in 2024, physician engagement turned the tide. The impact of many white coats on a stage behind Governor DeSantis in the weeks prior to the election made a dramatic difference in preventing the expansion of abortion in that state. That influence can be repeated in any and every state, and this November, pro-life clinicians must join the effort.
CMA member in the four states noted above are asked to find and join a coalition to protect unborn lives. Members are asked to gather as many like-minded people as possible, whether CMA or not, and develop a clear message, be it a public letter, a press conference, a letter to the editor or op-ed article, or a radio/TV interview. These are foundational ethical and medical concerns. Voters will listen to the voice of experts in both arenas. Ethical and wise medical professionals, and their opinions, are respected. When they speak out, people pay attention. CMA members are needed to speak up for moral medicine in this and every future election.
Dr. Timothy Millea is the chairman of the Health Care Policy Committee. He is also a CMA board member-at-large, Iowa state director, and president of the St. Thomas Aquinas Guild of the Quad Cities.