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.

Kennedy Moore, Abortion Action Missouri, spoke at the rally:

Kennedy Moore, Abortion Action Missouri.

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The transcript:

Kennedy Moore, Abortion Action Missouri: …Good morning, Missouri. [voices: “Good Morning.”] Good morning, Missouri. [voices: “Good Morning.”] [….] I just want to say, we made it to the signature finish line. [cheers] We made it, we made it, we made it. And this is a bittersweet moment. Who would have thought that we would be placed in a position for a historic time such as this? Despite every obstacle put in our way by the opposition we made it. [wind noise][….] Some of you I met only about twelve weeks ago. And others I’ve met and been working with for years. And all of us have grown immensely in the past twelve weeks from the work that every single one of us has contributed to the Missourians for Constitutional Freedom campaign. It’s been a beautiful thing to bear witness to. And I hope we will all cherish these relationships that have been built in this time and will continue to be built. A little bit of faith, a little bit of faith is what was instilled in all of our volunteers, to take action, to collect signatures across the state, and in the three hundred and eighty thousand signatures from voters that signed this petition that will be on the ballot in 2024. [applause][cheers] As we stand here before this same building, this same building where they passed the ban, where they signed it, where they signed away our rights to our bodies. [voice: “Boo!”] And where they continue to legislate against our Democracy. [voices: “Boo!”] We take back, we take back that right through the initiative petition process with the thousands of pages of petitions that we just turned in to the [voice: “That’s right!”] Secretary of State this morning. [cheers] The simple fact that we collected more signatures than the amount needed to qualify for the ballot has stretched my faith farther than I can ever imagine to think. It stretched my faith in my self, in my team that I work with every day, our movement, our state, and beyond. The Missourians for Constitutional Freedom campaign and Abortion Action Missouri thank you from the bottom of our hearts for all the risks you’ve taken to get here today. We would not be here if you did not put your time, your desire for change in your home state, and your heart on the line. I hope this moment is ingrained in all of us because we are making history. We have built collective power across the state. And that is what true community organizing is about. And I hope that you know you have an organizing home in this community. And anyone else that believes in ending this cruel ban on abortion in the State of Missouri does, too. Thank you so much and I look forward to the Missouri that we will continue to build together. [applause][cheers]

Kennedy Moore, Abortion Action Missouri.

Previously:

This morning in Jefferson City, Missouri – delivering the signed petitions (May 3, 2024)

This morning in Jefferson City, Missouri – delivering the signed petitions – part 2 (May 3, 2024)

This morning in Jefferson City, Missouri – rally for abortion rights at the Capitol (May 3, 2024)

Abortion Rights Rally in Jefferson City – May 3, 2024 – Press Gaggle (May 4, 2023)

Abortion Rights Rally in Jefferson City – May 3, 2024 – Tori Schafer, ACLU Missouri (May 5, 2024)