Following the November 5 passage of Amendment 3 in Missouri, which adds the right to abortion to the Missouri Constitution, several concerned citizen groups have been working to find ways to uphold existing Missouri regulations and minimize the dangers they believe are hidden in the amendment itself that were not obvious from the ballot language.
A call to action was coordinated by Liberty Link Missouri on December 3, 4 and 5, with the focus on information, prayer and continued efforts to protect Missouri women. On Tuesday, December 3, press conferences were held near five Planned Parenthood facilities across Missouri, with pro-life legislators and other leaders giving public briefings about Attorney General Andrew Bailey’s court cases defending Missouri’s current laws. State Representative Brian Seitz spoke at the Springfield event.
On Wednesday, December 4, Missourians were asked to unite in prayer as the court cases began. Planned Parenthood lawyers are challenging several laws including informed consent requirements; a 72-hour waiting period between a patient’s initial visit with a doctor and her procedure, and the requirement that the visit and procedure are done by the same doctor; the requirement that only physicians can perform abortions; the mandate that abortion clinics be located within 30 miles of a hospital where the provider has admitting privileges; and reporting requirements. Concerned citizens are also asked to pray about proposed legislation and ballot measures, including, among others, clarification that reproductive freedom should not be construed to include gender transition procedures, and a proposed amendment defining personhood to include in utero humans.
On Thursday, December 5, the day for Amendment 3 to take effect, citizens again gathered near Planned Parenthood facilities for continued prayer regarding the court cases currently being heard; for women whose circumstances may cause them to feel they have no workable alternatives to seeking abortion; and for pregnancy clinics and adoption referral agencies as they work to educate women about the help available.
The diversity of groups across Missouri calling for prayer and action has caused among those groups a continued concern regarding initiative petition reform, which was not accomplished in the last legislative session but which many believe would better represent interests of a wider spectrum of Missourians rather than allowing the state’s largest cities to push a petition onto a ballot. Although not a large group on December 4, those gathered for prayer in Springfield included members of 40 Days for Life, Concerned Women for America, and other citizens’ groups, and several area churches were represented.
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