Introduction
Some of you have known me a long time but for those who don’t I will explain my pro-life background. This point is made not to boast but to show that I have experience in the pro-life movement and to provide historical perspective. I want to make it clear upfront that some serving on the Missouri Right to Life State Board when I arrived forty years ago are still serving, and I respect them for their dedication to the movement. Even though I disagree with some of their decisions, I hold no malice toward them.
Why I am Prolife
In 1986 I saw for the first time photos of dismembered and saline-burned bodies of aborted babies. I had an overwhelming sorrow for them. I cried for days and felt the Lord sharing His grieved heart with mine which changed me forever. That was when I sought out the only right-to-life organization I knew to serve the unborn.
Experience
Initially, I learned that Missouri had laws from the 1800’s which criminalized abortion whereby protecting the unborn until Roe v. Wade (1973) abolished every abortion law in all 50 states. A funny thing about those “archaic” 19th century laws – you never heard of women being charged for the act. I became involved by establishing an effective chapter in Centralia with a great team of people. We focused mostly on educational efforts, distributing literature and hosting booths at local festivals. I served on the MRL Mid-State Region Board and State Board for about four years. After serving in those positions, I made the decision to devote more time to my family and because of personal health issues. However, I still remained active locally by offering information to ministers in town, speaking and debating for life at the local high school.
Mission & High Ground
Today, I found in my records from twenty years ago the Missouri Right to Life mission statement. I opened the MRL website and found that it is the same today. It states “Missouri Right to Life’s mission is to uphold and promote the sanctity of all innocent life from inception to natural death through education, legislation, and political action.”Sitting around the MRL Board table forty years ago, I heard seasoned warriors from the 1970’s discussing the implementation of that mission. To continue gaining the high ground, we were urged to encourage U.S. Senator John Danforth to keep the Hyde Amendment free of federal funding for abortions except for the case of the life of the mother (which sadly was eroded to include rape and incest during the Clinton presidency in 1993).
Webster v. Reproductive Health Services (1989) & The Fall of Roe v. Wade (June 2022)
During my MRL Board tenure, Webster v. Reproductive Health Services (1989) was a landmark victory for the unborn in the U.S Supreme Court. Its preamble included: 1) “The life of each human being begins at conception;” 2) “Unborn children have protectable interests, in life, health, and well-being;” 3) “The natural parents of unborn children have protectable interests in the life, health, and well-being of their unborn child.” Webster allowed abortion exceptions only for the life of the mother – none for rape and incest. It was a watershed decision which stood the test of time for almost forty years. Missouri was on the offensive, winning pro-life victory after victory and envied as one of the most pro-life states.
Then a strange thing happened in June 2022. Roe v. Wade was repealed after 50 years of legalized death. Great celebration followed. The Church was jubilant. The monster had finally been destroyed. WRONG! – Total silence in the churches the following Sunday – No mention of it – No thanksgiving to God. It was absolutely surreal. Randall Terry, who was harassed, bankrupted, convicted and spent years in prison by a corrupted application of a RICO law for his effective and strong pro-life leadership, danced outside the U.S. Supreme Court because Roe v. Wade was destroyed. Yet I saw no dancing anywhere else. It caused me to think that only those who drank the cup of bitterness of suffering for their pro-life position truly appreciated the sweetness of this victory. I have also wondered if the pro-life movement was so conditioned by Roe v. Wade that it still operates as slaves did after emancipation – legally free but mentally bound.
Missouri State Statute & Missouri Constitutional Amendment
Webster v. Reproductive Health Services was a state statute. Amendment 3, if approved, will be higher law imbedded into the Missouri Constitution. So, this begs two questions. 1) Since Webster’s preamble of “human being, conception, protectable interest in the life, health, and well-being of unborn children” already passed the scrutiny of the highest federal court, why is there no similar preamble in A3? Why is the ballot amendment language devoid of any references to MRL’s mission to “uphold and promote the sanctity of all innocent life?” Wouldn’t this be the perfect time to constitutionally seal the protection for the unborn?
Now for question number 2. Despite huge opposition, for fifty years Missouri held strong by never allowing taxpayer funds and rape and incest concessions to be used as political chess pieces . . . until now. Why did the writer(s) of Amendment 3 surrender MRL’s embattled high ground of Webster plus adding the category of fetal anomalies? Perhaps, the knee has bowed to the Almighty Polls which knows all things? As though polls have never been wrong before.
Voices & Hallowed Ground
Most political action organizations represent certain groups of people to better their lives but the pro-life movement is very different for one reason. The group it represents cannot vote. They cannot speak. They are virtually invisible. Is it possible that at times even those of us who work in the pro-life field fail to hear their silent cries or see their veiled forms – “My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth” Psalm 139:15? Do we weep for them anymore? May God forgives us for our deaf and blind hearts. Rather, the pro-life movement is hallowed ground meant for God’s purpose to defend the weak, the poor, the needy – the baby in the womb. Those who enter must come trembling, determined to be selfless and to never hope for any personal gain or power.
Now consider this: Amendment 3 protects most babies but should the rape, incest and fetal anomalies exceptions be codified it would demote those specific groups to an even lesser category than all the other unborn. Since A3 doesn’t require any legal evidence or medical documentation for these instances, women could easily lie about their situation to abort in early or even late terms. That is why we must speak even louder for this specific group.
The MRL board always spoke compassionately for women who faced difficult choices, peer pressure and manipulation BUT the mission of MRL was never about women who have their own voice. It was always about the unborn who cannot speak for themselves. MRL’s mission was and should always be to defend the babies!!!
Amendment 3 2024 & Apathy
In 2024, I worked with MRL to attempt to defeat the 2024 Missouri Right to Reproductive Freedom Initiative. I spent many, many hours on the phone talking to church staff, pastors, Christian colleges in many areas of the state. I visited churches and encouraged them to speak about the initiative to their members warning them about the horrible impact of Amendment 3 2024. I sent official MRL online literature and ordered brochure shipments to those who even hinted that they might distribute the literature to their church members. Very few ministers, however, wholeheartedly accepted the materials. In fact, many churches flat out refused to take them. My church, however, allowed me to host a literature table in the front lobby the last weeks prior to the election and displayed a NO 3 sign in the church yard.
Overall, it was disheartening to see the apathy in the church. Sadly, the 2024 initiative passed by only a slim margin of 1.6% which could have been defeated if only church leadership would had preached then on the sin of abortion and educated their people about the amendment. I also believe if MRL would have immediately initiated an ongoing two-year education campaign within churches in 2025, it would have made it possible to repeal all of A3 2024 this year. Rather, we had an attempt to “fix it” with a last-minute effort to convince the churches to “jump on the bandwagon because we were not involved in 2024” approach.
My Stand
Amendment 3 2026 should have never been brought to the voters of Missouri in this form for several reasons. 1) It is not true to MRL’s mission statement to “uphold and promote the sanctity of all innocent life from inception to natural death” which includes those conceived in rape, incest or have fetal anomalies. 2) It doesn’t ban all abortions. 3) It provides taxpayer funding for the rape, incest and medical emergencies abortions through Medicaid. 4) It is convoluted. 5) A total repeal of Amendment 3 2024 should have been offered to the people of Missouri. Therefore, I will vote NO for Amendment 3.
Respectfully,
Nancy M. Stroppel
