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Staff Editorial: How to support the Right to Reproductive Freedom Initiative
After the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision, Missouri implemented one of the strictest abortion bans in the country. In response, Missourians for Constitutional Freedom, a coalition of organizations and Missourians, is organizing across the state. They have formed a petition, asking that an amendment to the state constitution (titled the “Right to Reproductive Freedom Initiative”) be added to the ballot and voted on this election season. With this referendum, Missourians have the chance to vote for and defend their right to fundamental health care. The Student Life Editorial Board encourages WashU students to register to vote in Missouri and support this vital initiative.
As stated on Missourians for Constitutional Freedom’s website, “Missourians are being denied necessary health care, risking their lives and financial security to travel across state lines. This amendment is our chance to end the government’s cruel ban and its devastating effects.” Right now, their petition needs signatures.
By May 5, 2024, Missourians for Constitutional Freedom needs to acquire around 172,000 signatures. If you are registered to vote in Missouri, you have a responsibility to do what you can to reinstate the right to abortion. If you’re not registered, Washington University makes the process easy with TurboVote. Additionally, the student group WashUVotes provides further resources for accessing absentee ballots and finding polling locations. To sign the petition in person, or support the growing momentum of this initiative, sign up to attend events with the Missourians for Constitutional Freedom (dates are listed on mobilize.us). For those seeking more involvement, Planned Parenthood and Missourians for Constitutional Freedom provide training on how to volunteer and collect signatures.
The full text of the amendment is available on the Missourians for Constitutional Freedom website. This amendment outlines the inability for the government to “infringe upon a person’s right to reproductive freedom,” including “prenatal care, childbirth, postpartum care, birth control, abortion care, miscarriage care, and respectful birthing conditions.” The amendment also ensures the preservation of “autonomous decision making,” and the right for individuals seeking care — and those consensually helping them — to not be “penalized, prosecuted, or otherwise subjected to adverse action for doing so.”
A ballot initiative is a ballot measure created and voted on by citizens. It allows citizens to put issues on the ballot without government intervention. In the state of Missouri, ballot initiatives have been a successful tool for reform since as early as the 1920s. Since the Dobbs decision, six states (California, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Vermont, and Ohio) have passed constitutional amendments supporting access to abortion in their states. Thirteen states are working on similar initiatives, including Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, Pennsylvania, and South Dakota.
People with uteruses deserve the right to make decisions about their body. With the guidance of medical professionals, individuals — not policymakers — should be in charge of their own personal care. A movement to fight the current injustice of Missouri abortion bans is underway, and every voice and signature can make a difference. Now is the time to get involved and protect the bodily autonomy of all people.
Staff editorials reflect the opinion of the majority of our editorial board members. The editorial board operates independently of our newsroom and includes members of the senior staff.
Jordan Spector, Junior Forum Editor
Amelia Raden, Junior Forum Editor
Reilly Brady, Managing Forum Editor
Jasmine Stone, Senior Forum Editor
Olivia Poolos, Editor-in-Chief
Annabel Shen, Managing Scene Editor
Jared Adelman, Managing Multimedia Editor