On Wednesday, May 3rd, 2023, SB356, the Abolition of Abortion in Missouri Act, was granted a committee hearing in the Missouri Senate. Under current abortion law in Missouri, a doctor may perform an abortion in the case of a medical emergency. It is also legal for pregnant women to preform their own abortions with a chemical abortion pill regimen or instrument through all nine months of pregnancy. SB356’s intent is to change the law to provide equal protection to children in the womb, meaning the same laws that protect born individuals from murder would be extended to pre-born children.
Although multiple witnesses were there to speak for or against SB356, the committee only allowed two organizations to speak for and two to speak against. Bradley Peirce of the Foundation to Abolish Abortion spoke in favor stating the abolitionist belief “that murdering anyone should be illegal for everyone”. Jeff Durbin of End Abortion Now also spoke in favor of the bill.
Two pro-life organization spoke against the bill. Samuel Lee of Campaign Life Missouri and Susan Klein of Missouri Right to Life both opposed the bill citing the NRCL letter published on May 12, 2022. This same letter also killed a bill of equal protection in Louisiana last year. The letter openly opposes equal protection for our neighbors in the womb and requests that law makers keep abortion legal for the pregnant woman. According to the committee minutes, Planned Parenthood of the St. Louis Region & SW MO and Pro Choice Missouri were also present to speak against the bill.
By their actions, both pro-life organizations showed they share the same belief that Planned Parenthood and Pro-Choice Missouri hold–that life in the womb is less valuable and therefore should be less protected than life outside of the womb.
If you live in Missouri and are interested an supporting an organization who truly does fight to abolish abortion in the “Show-Me” state, please support the work of Abolish Abortion Missouri.
Planned Parenthood which did have representatives there, didn’t feel the need to speak, because they knew that Missouri Right to Life was going to and what they were going to say! Because PP never tried to take either of the 2 openings to speak against the Bill! They must have coordinated!