Abortion-rights supporters rally to protect new rights

By Charlie Dahlgren, Missouri News Network 

JEFFERSON CITY — Leaders of the Amendment 3 Coalition gathered at the Missouri State Capitol on Wednesday for a rally to defend reproductive freedom.
Over 200 supporters joined the demonstration by visiting their lawmakers’ offices to petition for the reproductive rights now enshrined in the state’s constitution.
The approval of Amendment 3 in November was not the last step in the continued fight for bodily autonomy, said Mallory Schwarz, executive director of Abortion Action Missouri. Along with similar organizations, Abortion Action Missouri has shifted its focus after the election to preventing laws that would limit the power of the new amendment.
“Changing the constitution was never going to be like flicking a light switch that would immediately change the context or change the environment,” Schwarz said. “It’s going to be a long fight.”
Despite the rights granted by Amendment 3, Republican legislators have voiced plans to restrict the power of the law. By defining language in the bill, such as “the point of fetal vitality” and “extraordinary measures,” they hope to limit the scope of the amendment.
The rally began in the capitol rotunda at 9:30 a.m. with brief instructions given to the attendees about how to approach their lawmakers. Organizers were looking to engage in a respectful dialogue, and to assist with this, attendees were given a script. Participants were then grouped by Senate or Congressional districts and departed for their respective lawmakers’ offices.
Lisa Williams led the constituents of Senate District 15 to the office of Sen. David Gregory, R-Chesterfield, — a potentially contentious meeting due to the senator’s staunch anti-abortion views, said Abortion Action Missouri External Affairs Director Maggie Olivia.
The crowd of 25-or-so packed into Gregory’s waiting room but was only briefly greeted by the senator before he returned to his office. As planned, Gregory’s constituents lined up single-file and handed personalized letters to one of his legislative aids. Although Williams was disappointed by the brief interaction with the senator himself, she was left feeling hopeful.
“It makes me feel good that people care so much and that they are willing to let their representatives know and have a voice,” Williams said.
Rita Fitzjarrell was one of Gregory’s constituents who left a note. In her letter, she shared her life experience having access to reproductive healthcare that, until recently, was easy to obtain. Fitzjarrell said she wants her family and children to have that same level of control over their reproductive lives.
“I just hope that we can get a few stories in front of him and say this is something that is a good for all the people,” Fitzjarrell said.
Schwarz said she aims to stop this backsliding by getting more people involved in the abortion rights coalition. She hopes that through continued action like Wednesday’s Capitol rally, reproductive freedom will continue to make gains — even in a deep-red state such as Missouri.
“As abortion and reproductive health advocates in a hostile state, we know that the fight is never over,” Schwarz said. “The more people we can reach, the more people are with us, but it takes effort.”
Following the office visits, the groups gathered again in the Capitol rotunda and listened to speakers for about 30 minutes.