Ending Missouri's Abortion Ban

 

by Pa Rock

Missouri Voter

For the past couple of decades the Missouri State Legislature has increasingly become a cesspool of right-wing political hackery and bigotry fueled by the religious fervor of evangelical zealots.   Sometimes the outrages of the show-me state legislators go unchecked, and at other times their legislative "accomplishments" are so harmful to the common good that the people have to step in and correct their legislators.

As an example, a few years ago the Missouri State Legislature thought it would be in the public's best interest if they passed legislation making Missouri a "Right to Work" state, an intentional misnomer which actually makes it more difficult for workers to unionize and thus helps to keep wages low.  Angry Missourians who have to work for a living took to the streets passing petitions for a state constitutional amendment to do away with the legislature's phony "right-to-work" legislation - and the amendment passed.

Now Missourians are preparing to go to the polls to correct another of our legislature's overreaches.  Several years ago the legislature passed a total abortion ban that would go into effect if and when the US Supreme Court ever overturned the Roe v Wade decision.    When the conservative cabal that controls the Supreme Court did that very thing in June of 2022, Missouri enacted its total ban on abortions within an hour of the announcement of the Dobbs' decision.  This coming Tuesday, Missouri will very likely become the first state to reverse a total abortion ban, and they will do that by a vote of the people on a proposed constitutional amendment.

I received a very simple flyer in the mail this week.   It was one sheet of plain paper, eight-and-a-half inches by eleven inches, folded in half with the message on one side and the address on the other.  The flyer contained a notation that it was paid for by a group called "Missourians for Constitutional Freedom," and it had a return address that was a P.O. Box in St. Louis.  The message was in favor of Amendment 3, the proposed constitutional amendment in Missouri that would repeal our state's abortion ban.

(I am a supporter of Amendment 3 and have a sign to that effect in my yard.)

The complete message was outlined in two columns.   One side was a listing of what voting "yes" on Amendment 3 would accomplish, and the other was a listing of what voting "no" on Amendment would accomplish.  The message in its entirety was stark, and it was effective in bringing the matter into a sharp focus.  Here is a verbatim summary:

Voting YES on Amendment 3:

• Voting YES on Amendment 3 will end the abortion ban and provide access to care for Missouri women, including survivors of rape and incest.
• Voting YES on Amendment 3 will ensure that Missourians, not politicians, are in charge of their own healthcare and decisions.
• Voting YES on Amendment 3 protects the health of women and ensures those with pregnancy complications or miscarriages get the care they need.

Voting NO on Amendment 3:

• Voting NO allows the abortion ban to remain in effect, with no exceptions for rape, incest, or when the woman's health is at risk.
• Voting NO gives the government the power to make the personal medical decisions for women and their families.
• Voting NO means doctors must wait until patients' conditions worsen before providing treatment.

Ten states have measures on the ballot next Tuesday that will establish or strengthen abortion rights and will help American women regain the right to control their own healthcare decisions.  They include:  Nebraska (which also has an "anti-abortion"measure on its state ballot), Arizona, Florida, Montana, Nevada, South Dakota, Maryland, Colorado, New York, and Missouri.

A right that was summarily taken away by the US Supreme Court is being reinstated in a piecemeal fashion, state by state, through votes of the people, but there is still a danger that a Republican dominated national government could pass legislation for a nationwide abortion ban.  Ultimately the United States will have to do what Missouri is about to do, and enshrine a woman's right to make her own healthcare decisions and control her own body in its constitution.

Healthcare is a matter of personal freedom and certainly not the business of political or religious hucksters. 

Voting ends next Tuesday.  Do your part to support democracy and protect our individual freedoms!