Abortion Rights Rally in Jefferson City – May 3, 2024 – Dr. Jennifer Smith, Missouri Healthcare Professionals for Reproductive Rights

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abortion, capitol, Dr. Jennifer Smith, initiative, Jefferson City, missouri, Petition, women's health care, women's reproductive health

Organizers and activists in Missouri have been gathering signatures for an initiative to place women’s reproductive rights, women’s health care, and access to abortion on the ballot. Missourians for Constitutional Freedom is the conduit for the petition drive.

The signed petitions were presented Friday morning at the James C. Kirkpatrick State Information Center in Jefferson City.

A rally in support of the initiative for abortion rights started at 11:00 a.m. on the north side of the Capitol.

Dr. Jennifer Smith, Missouri Healthcare Professionals for Reproductive Rights, spoke at the rally:

Dr. Jennifer Smith, Missouri Healthcare Professionals for Reproductive Rights.

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The transcript:

Dr. Jennifer Smith: ….During my more than twenty years as an OB-GYN I have had the privilege of getting to know each and every one of my patients. I get to develop a personal relationship with every patient who comes into my exam room. Knowing my patients, I know that every pregnancy is unique and every patient needs different types of care along the way. I also know that decisions have to be made in a pregnancy are deeply personal and private [voice: “That’s right.”] [cheers, applause] Or at least they should be private. Unfortunately, right now Missouri politicians are making these personal, private decisions for the women of our state. [voices: “Boo!”] Not only [inaudible], not only are out-of-touch politicians interfering with these personal medical decisions they’re also endangering the health and well-being of patients like mine. Missouri’s cruel abortion ban ties doctor’s hands, preventing us from being able to provide the full scope of health care that our patients need to live. It prevents patients from being able to seek care that can save their life, health, and future fertility. Even before Missouri’s abortion ban went into effect in 2022 we had a dismal maternal mortality rate, higher than the national rate. In state rankings of maternal mortality we come in forty-fourth. And abortion bans like ours only increase maternal mortality. No Missourian should be forced to flee the state to get life-saving care [inaudible], nor should they have to stay in Missouri and risk their life. [voice: “That’s right.”] But that’s what’s happening. Many have heard the story of [….] who, eighteen weeks into her pregnancy, experienced a pre-term, premature rupture of membranes. Her water broke, she experienced bleeding, and she learned that her pregnancy had no chance of survival. She was forced to either wait to receive care in Missouri until her situation was dire and her health in danger or, travel out-of-state for care. Which she did, making that drive across state while bleeding and in pain. It’s heartbreaking as a physician to see a patient suffer in this way. It’s heartbreaking to have our hands tied when we can provide safe, compassionate care for our patients. It’s no wonder that many of my colleagues across the state are leaving for other states where they can provide the level of care for which we physicians have been trained and expect to provide. For all these reasons I’m so encouraged that Missourians for Constitutional Freedom are turning in so many signatures today to put this issue before the voters. Passing this amendment will end Missouri’s cruel abortion ban and put personal medical decisions back in the hands of patients, their families, and their doctors [voice: “That’s right.”], not politicians. [cheers, applause] It will ensure that patients can access the health care they need to save their life, health, and fertility here in Missouri, not force them to flee the state for care. I look forward to supporting this amendment to get politicians out of our exam rooms and put patients and their families back in charge of personal health care decisions.[cheers, applause]