Editor

Editor,

Like many people I have been trying to understand this Amendment 3 issue that all of us in Missouri are going to be voting on in the November 5 election. I have read articles, legislative arguments and even posts on Facebook. There are ads on television. There is no escape.

It is just shy of 50 years ago when I first participated in a discussion about abortion. Gillette Hall, University of Missouri campus in the fall of 1974. I had just turned 19. Roe v Wade was new, Planned Parenthood was that affordable place where female students (and working women with limited incomes) could go for affordable gynecological care and get birth control pills. Abortion was a hot topic.

Fast forward to 2024. Roe v Wade is gone. Planned Parenthood has evolved into a powerful, politically focused 501c3 non-profit organization funded by taxes, grants and donations. And abortion is still a hot topic.

When the Affordable Care Act passed in 2009, the Obama administration guaranteed every citizen access to medical care. If a woman is on private health insurance, coverage through an employer, coverage through Marketplace.gov, or Medicaid, she has access to every item in the “Right to Reproductive Freedom Initiative” that the drafters of this amendment claim are in jeopardy.

Except an abortion on demand, of course. So, the drafters and supporters of this amendment lie to the voters, creating the false idea that we need protections that are already covered by health insurance. And the subject of abortion? It is almost an afterthought.

Why?

Missouri only allows for an abortion in an extreme medical emergency. That is a law, passed by our legislature. The decision for the care of the patient is in the hands of the medical provider who would deem her life in jeopardy. The costs would be covered by her insurance company.

The supporters of abortion want it to be on demand, paid for by tax dollars. If they make it a right under our Missouri constitution, the taxpayers own it and everything about it. And it will be almost impossible to undo.

Please do not be fooled into believing that we need an amendment to our constitution for women to have their medical care protected. Do not allow yourself to be misled and do your research before you go to the polls. Whether you are pro- or anti-abortion, you do not want this amendment to pass.

Sue Wright

Stockton Missouri