Missouri Law Under Attack – Our Rights and the Rights of the Unborn are in Jeopardy

LAWSUIT

On November 30, Planned Parenthood filed a federal lawsuit to drop the Admitting Privileges and Ambulatory Surgical Centers requirements from Missouri Law.  Planned Parenthood states that if they win the lawsuit, they plan to open four more abortion facilities in Missouri in Kansas City, Columbia, Joplin, and Springfield.

Side note:  It has been uncovered that 911 calls have summoned emergency ambulances to the Planned Parenthood abortion facility in St. Louis 63 times since 2009, averaging one 911 call and ambulance response every 42 days.

PROTECTED CLASSES LAW

 On December 2, 2016, Alderwomen Megan Green, Ward 15, and Christine Ingrassia, Ward 6, filed BB 203, a St. Louis “Ordinance regarding pregnancy and reproductive health decisions as protected classes.”  In other words this bill, if it becomes law, would make opinions a protected class of people within St. Louis.

Here are just a few examples of what this bill will criminalize:

• A Catholic hospital refusing to lease medical office space to a doctor who wants to perform abortions.
• A doctors’ medical group rejecting as an employee a physician who wants to prescribe abortion pills to his or her patients.
• A property owner declining to lease office space to the CEO of Planned Parenthood.
• The Archdiocese of St. Louis or Catholic Charities (at least as applied to their City of St. Louis employees) failing to include in their employees’ health benefit plans, coverage for abortion (at any time for any reason throughout pregnancy), contraception, sterilization or artificial reproduction.
• A pastor in a pro-life church demoting or reassigning the youth minister because he encouraged and paid for his girlfriend’s abortion, because that is an “adverse employment action” (as defined in the bill) against the employee.
• A maternity home, pregnancy resource center, Catholic Charities agency, etc., firing a counselor or social worker who referred a client for an abortion.
• A mom or dad denying parental consent for their minor daughter to get an abortion, because the parent would be “interfering with any person in the exercise or enjoyment of, or on account of his having exercised or enjoyed, rights granted and protected by this ordinance.”

BB 203 has been referred to the Aldermanic Housing, Urban Development and Zoning Committee.  They will decide whether or not to send this clearly discriminatory bill to the full board of aldermen.

TAKE ACTION

Whether you are a resident of St. Louis or not, please take these steps of action.  They need to know that this kind of law isn’t acceptable anywhere within our state.

1. Please contact Alderman Joseph Roddy, the Committee Chairman, Ward 17, and ask him to oppose BB 203. Call him at (314) 622-3287 and then e-mail him at jroddystl@gmail.com.
2. Call and email each member of the committee. Click here for committee names and contact information. Encourage them to vote “NO” on BB 203, a bill that clearly discriminates against people of faith and conscience and violates their freedom of speech.
3. Forward this e-alert to friends and family and ask them to pray and take action on this important issue.

BUFFER-ZONE ORDINANCE

The same Alderwomen Megan Green and Christine Ingrassia are expected to file a buffer-zone ordinance in the City of St. Louis.  As reported by St. Louis Public Radio, the buffer zone will be modeled after the Colorado and Massachusetts laws in place.  The goal of these buffer zones is to eliminate free speech in a specific zone on public property.  The effect is that thousands of women will not be able to receive information and support from sidewalk counselors.

PRAY

1. Pray these setbacks will be overcome soon.
2. Pray the lawsuit Planned Parenthood has filed will be defeated.
3. Pray the eyes of the employees at Planned Parenthood will be opened. Pray they will see abortion for what it truly is and what it does to women, and then leave their jobs.
4. Pray on the sidewalk in front of the Planned Parenthood nearest you. There are Planned Parenthood offices in Florissant, Gladstone, Independence, Joplin, Kansas City, Manchester, Springfield, Central West End-St. Louis, South St. Louis, and St. Peters.
5. Please pray and act as these attacks on our rights and the rights of the unborn continue.

Sincerely,

Bev Ehlen

State Director

CWA of Missouri

director@missouri.cwfa.org

mo.cwfa.org

A special thanks to Sam Lee, Campaign for Life, Coalition for Life, and Missouri Right to Life for the information included in this e-alert.