JEFFERSON CITY — Anti-abortion advocates met their goal last year of overturning Roe v. Wade, but that doesn’t mean they’re done yet.
As tens of thousands gathered Friday in Washington, D.C., for the annual March for Life, national organizers already have been mapping the next steps in their strategy to bar the procedure across the United States, a move that would require action by Congress.
Even in states like Missouri, which moved immediately to implement among the most restrictive abortion laws in the country after the U.S. Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision in June, the anti-abortion movement is still active.
But the playbook in Jefferson City, where it has held considerable clout for decades, has shifted.
“More regulation of abortion, that’s not as much of an issue here in Missouri, at least from the pro-life perspective,†said Sam Lee, who has spent more than 20 years lobbying state legislators on behalf of Campaign Life Missouri. “It’s what can we do to increase support for pregnant and new moms?â€
In a state Capitol where bills passed nearly every session whittling away abortion access in Missouri, abortion opponents can devote more time to other issues they hope can reduce the appeal of an abortion — which Missouri women can still access in clinics just across the border in Kansas and Illinois.
Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, a Democrat, just this month signed broad new abortion protections into law, including easing restrictions on out-of-state providers who seek medical licensing. Two providers in the Metro East — Planned Parenthood and Hope Clinic — joined forces last year to assist out-of-state patients, including many from Missouri and the South. So far, 14 states have enacted laws banning or greatly restricting access to abortion since the Dobbs decision.
“It’s not a new challenge for the pro-life movement, but there’s a greater awareness among pro-lifers that just changing the laws in your state doesn’t mean abortion ends,†Lee said.
Already, the Legislature is tackling measures this session to prop up child care providers and extend Medicaid coverage for new mothers, which advocates hope will make it easier for women to decide to carry their pregnancies to term — and put a dent in Missouri’s dismal maternal mortality numbers.
Campaign Life Missouri is backing legislation sponsored in the Senate by , R-Holts Summit, and in the House by , R-St. Peters, that would authorize a property tax exemption for child care providers.
“Child care is a huge issue for young moms and young families, even to the point of deciding whether to have additional children,†Lee said. “There are a significant number of women who make that decision based on the availability of child care.â€
National group Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America has circulated a memo recommending similar proposals lawmakers can pursue in states where abortion is now illegal. Among other legislative proposals, it cites one from U.S. Rep. Jason Smith, R-Missouri, to Smith this month became chairman of the powerful House Ways and Means Committee.
The Archdiocese of ºüÀêÊÓƵ, where Cardinal John J. Carberry formed one of the first “pro-life†diocesan committees in the country following the 1973 Roe decision, has also shifted its focus following the Dobbs decision. Rather than focusing on a “pilgrimage†to Washington for the rally, the Archdiocese Office of Youth Ministry hosted
Last weekend, the
“Now that (abortion) is illegal in Missouri and we’re technically an abortion-free state for now, we thought this was a good opportunity for everybody to celebrate, to come out and unify for all life issues,†Cynthia Haehnel, director of the Respect Life Apostolate, earlier this month.
“We don’t know what’s going to happen in 2024,†Haehnel told the Review. “We have been hearing from others that there’s going to be proposals to change the constitution in Missouri to make abortion a constitutional right like Kansas. So we can’t back down. We will celebrate and refocus, and then look forward to the 2024 election.â€
Lee, in Jefferson City, also expects that to be the next fight in the state, and so do its donors, who he said haven’t let up their support for Campaign Life Missouri since the Dobbs decision.
“They know the work will never end,†Lee said. “They’re aware of this and that’s partly why they continue to donate.â€
Photos: Abortion protests in ºüÀêÊÓƵ since 1973
1973 - Anti-abortion protest along North Euclid
1977 - Abortion protesters on SLU's campus
1978 - Abortion rights supporters in downtown ºüÀêÊÓƵ
1978 - Abortion protesters
1979 - Anti-abortion protest near the Arch
1980 - Anti-abortion protest in Kiener Plaza
1980 - Anti-abortion protest along Market Street
1985 - Abortion rights protest in CWE church
1986 - Abortion rights protesters at SLU
1989 - Abortion rights protesters in Forest Park
1991 - Anti-abortion protest during 'Life Chain'
2005 - Anti-abortion protest in Granite City
2005 - Abortion rights protest at Planned Parenthood
2005 - Anti-abortion protest at Planned Parenthood
2008 - Anti-abortion protest at Planned Parenthood
2017 - Abortion rights protest along Lindell
2017 - Anti-abortion protest at Planned Parenthood
2019 - Anti-abortion protest in ºüÀêÊÓƵ
2019 - Abortion rights protest in downtown
2019 - Abortion rights protest in state capitol
2019 - Anti-abortion and abortion rights activists protest at clinic
2019 - Abortion rights rally results in arrests downtown
2019 - Abortion rights rally results in arrests downtown
2019 - Anti-abortion protesters hold rally outside Planned Parenthood clinic
2021 - Anti-Abortion advocates rally in ºüÀêÊÓƵ on the anniversary of Roe v. Wade
2021 - Planned Parenthood ºüÀêÊÓƵ
2022 - Hundreds attend abortion rights rally at Kiener Plaza
2022 - Anti-abortion activists hold weekly prayer vigil
2022 - Roe v. Wade overturned by the Supreme Court
The annual event marked a bit of a victory lap for the anti-abortion movement.Â
St. Charles Borromeo eighth graders sing along Friday, Jan. 20, 2023, to the music of To The Heights Christian band at the Generation Life rally for younger Catholics at Chaifetz Arena. The gathering of an estimated 1,400 mostly teens was hosted by the Archdiocese of ºüÀêÊÓƵ to coincide with the annual anti-abortion March for Life taking place in Washington, D.C. From left are Elliot Jacobs, James Iver, Joshua Wolf, Lucas Brockmeyer and Walter Ackerman.
Carmelite Sisters Maria Josefa, from far left, Mary Michael and Magdelene Therese sit with others on Friday, Jan. 20, 2023, at the Generation Life rally for younger Catholics at Chaifetz Arena. The gathering of an estimated 1,400 mostly teens was hosted by the Archdiocese of ºüÀêÊÓƵ to coincide with the annual anti-abortion March for Life taking place in Washington, D.C.
Kenrick-Glennon Catholic seminarians, left, to right, Paul Brungardt, Alexander Schmitt, Jake Rosenmeyer and Benjamin Baker listen on Friday, Jan. 20, 2023, to keynote speaker Krista Corbello at the 2023 Generation Life rally for younger Catholics at Chaifetz Arena. The gathering of an estimated 1400 mostly teens was hosted by the Archdiocese in ºüÀêÊÓƵ to coincide with the annual anti-abortion March for Life taking place in Washington, D.C. Photo by Christian Gooden, cgooden@post-dispatch.com
Students arrive at Chaifetz Arena on Friday, Jan. 20, 2023, for the 2023 Generation Life rally for younger Catholics. The gathering, hosted by the Archdiocese in ºüÀêÊÓƵ, coincides with the annual anti-abortion March for Life taking place in Washington, D.C. Photo by Christian Gooden, cgooden@post-dispatch.com
Notre Dame High School freshmen (from left), Carly Dill, Elleanor Macke, Cailynn Mueth, Ava Blaskiewicz and Carlie Sapienza sing and clap on Friday, Jan. 20, 2023, to the music of To The Heights Christian band at the 2023 Generation Life rally for younger Catholics at Chaifetz Arena. The gathering of an estimated 1400 mostly teens was hosted by the Archdiocese of ºüÀêÊÓƵ to coincide with the annual anti-abortion March for Life taking place in Washington, D.C.