As petitioners approach Missouri voters, we want our supporters to be fully informed. We believe there are numerous startling implications hidden in the proposed Right to Reproductive Freedom Amendment. Missouri Right to Life has published a number of resources that identify the deceptive language that supporters of this initiative are using to procure more votes in favor of this amendment. We share their concerns and want to expound upon some of them here. Below you'll find a graphic of the text that will potentially appear on November's ballot with some additional information that we think voters need to know. Abortion through all nine months of pregnancyBy emphasizing potential restrictions or bans after Fetal Viability, abortion advocates are insinuating that late-term abortions will not occur under Missouri law. In reality, this proposed amendment will enshrine a right to abortion through all nine months of pregnancy. Upon approval, this amendment states the government has no power to restrict an abortion that a health care professional decides is “needed to protect the life or physical or mental health of the pregnant person.” The ability for a medical professional to overrule Fetal Viability restrictions based on the physical or mental health of the mother means that the right to abortion is protected from conception until live birth. The implications of this should be deeply alarming to both prolife and prochoice voters. When Ohio Issue 1 was approved in November, a number of abortion advocates spoke out with their concerns. An editorial published in the Toledo Blade stated, “The Blade has always supported women’s right to an abortion. This amendment to the state constitution goes too far and should be defeated.” (Read more HERE.) Removing Missouri's 52+ Prolife LawsRemoving Missouri’s ban on abortion means that Missouri’s 52+ prolife laws will be eliminated. Among others, these laws include requirements for parental consent, health and safety standards for abortion clinics, and a requirement for the abortion clinic to show a mother her baby’s ultrasound. Missouri law currently requires health and safety standards for abortion clinics. With these laws removed, the “safe abortions” that abortion advocates describe will no longer be safe and women will lose the ability to sue for malpractice. A woman will have the right to seek out an abortion from any individual, whether medically licensed or not. If there are complications, this amendment protects any person assisting a woman in seeking out an abortion from penalty, prosecution, or adverse action, meaning there will be no right to sue an abortionist for malpractice. With parental consent eliminated, performing abortions on pregnant minors without notice to or consent from the minor’s parents will be protected. This contradicts the protections we have for children right now, involving mandatory reporting of sexual activity. Responding with truth & convictionAt the heart of the work that we do at My Life Clinic is our deep conviction that the life of every preborn baby and the life of every woman have inherent value. Abortion ends the life of a child and forever alters the life of the mother. Our organization rejoiced when Roe v Wade was overturned and as a result, we started to see more abortion-minded clients. These women and families encountered a safe space and the majority of them chose life after visiting My Life Clinic. As abortion advocates continue to fight for these “rights” to undermine the protection of preborn babies and their mothers, we’ll continue to respond with truth and conviction. We believe that when the broader implications of this amendment are identified, both prolife and prochoice voters will be opposed to the Missouri Right to Reproductive Freedom Amendment. Some action steps:
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At My Life Clinic, we seek to inform, empower, and equip our clients to make life-affirming decisions. We don't tell them what to do. In this space, we want to do the same for you.
On January 18, 2024, abortion-advocates began petitioning throughout Missouri to place the Missouri Right to Reproductive Freedom Initiative on the November 4 ballot. There’s a good chance you’ve already been approached by one or more petitioners. Most of our staff and board members have been asked to sign in the past few weeks. Outside the Daniel Boone Regional Library last weekend, a petitioner asked library patrons, "Will you sign this petition to lift Missouri's ban on abortion?" As our team discussed the petition and proposed amendment, we felt a unified responsibility to be one of the voices in the conversation our community will be having over the next eight months. As pro-life and pro-woman advocates, we're deeply concerned by the potential implications of this amendment. Over the next few months, we'll be responding to the current petition and proposed amendment. We’ll be sharing in our newsletter, social media, and blog, and we encourage you to share your thoughts with us as well. Our team will also connect you with helpful articles and resources as they become available, and to start, we encourage you to read the full text of the amendment. As we discuss this petition and potential upcoming November vote, we'll do our best to inform, empower, and equip you as we all navigate the months ahead. Introducing our renewed mission & vision and the heart behind our sparkly new brand! We’re making some changes and we want our supporters to be the first to know about them! In an attempt to refresh and simplify our organization’s look, we prayerfully moved toward rebranding over the past six months. Our staff, services, and goals are not changing - we’re just sprucing up our look! Our goal in updating our brand is to ensure that the image and message we communicate to our potential clients and broader community matches the services and support we provide at My Life Clinic. From Life Network to My Life ClinicOur organization began in 1992 as Open Arms Pregnancy Center. In 2008, Open Arms became Life Network, the donor umbrella for My Life Clinic, a pregnancy resource center in Columbia, Missouri. As we launch our new look, we are merging under one name: My Life Clinic. Going forward, our client-facing website will continue as mylifeclinic.org and you’ll still find information about how to get involved with our ministry at lifenetworkfriends.com. Life Network Friends will remain our donor page domain, but the name you’ll know us as is now My Life Clinic. Our Logo Image
In contrast, our image and message is clear – a gentle picture of the strength of a mother holding her child. It conveys the message we believe: that truly empowering a woman means supporting her and coming alongside her so that she can choose life for her baby. Renewing our Mission & VisionAlong with these changes, our team took some time to update our mission and vision statements to align with the goals and values of our organization. Mission: To inform, empower, and equip our clients to make life-affirming decisions about pregnancy, sexual-health, and relationships by meeting them with Christ-like compassion. Vision: It’s our vision that Mid-Missouri would be a community that values life in all circumstances and that in turn, we would see women and families thrive. Join us!
Pray that this update will bring even more clients into My Life Clinicand increase our name recognition in the community. We pray expectantly that the Lord will continue to work through this ministry in mighty ways! As we near the end of 2023, we want to make sure our partners are aware of the potential benefits of the Missouri Pregnancy Resource Center Tax Credit. Donors contributing $100 or more to Life Network in a calendar year are eligible to receive a 70% credit toward their Missouri state tax liability. By utilizing this benefit, your donation bolsters our ministry and also benefits you. Read more below and reach out to our team with any questions.
On Tuesday night, Ohio voters approved an amendment to the state constitution that establishes a right to abortion. As pro-life and pro-woman advocates, we’re deeply grieved by the implications of this amendment. We encourage you to read the ballot and full text of the amendment entitled “The Right to Reproductive Freedom with Protections for Health and Safety.” Ohio Issue 1 ballot & full text of amendment. The full text of the amendment is below with our concerns noted. Upon approval, physicians now have the authority to determine the viability of a preborn child, as well as the authority to determine if an abortion is necessary to protect the pregnant woman’s life or health, including mental and emotional health, at any stage of pregnancy. This means the life of a preborn child is in the hands of a medical professional’s subjective judgment. It is also worth mentioning that for-profit abortion providers like Planned Parenthood benefit from abortion access, unlike Pregnancy Centers like My Life Clinic that are entirely non-profit. The open-ended implications of this allowance have raised appropriate alarm, with advocates from both sides of the issue voicing concern. What this means for Missouri Missouri lobbyist, Sam Lee, communicated at this week’s Alliance for Life conference in Kansas City that we, as pro-life advocates, should be aware of the likelihood that Missouri’s legislature is considering following suit. If abortion access is reinstated in Missouri, this could threaten funding for Alternatives to Abortion, a Missouri program that offers services to encourage women to choose life for their baby, as well as the 70% Missouri Pregnancy Resource Center Tax Credit program. As we just saw in Ohio, things can change quickly and Missouri is not immune. Our calling to you In today’s culture, we feel it’s vitally important to discuss the broader implications that news like this has for women and children in our state. Our Life Network team will provide updates as much as we can, and we encourage you to take ownership in staying current on the abortion conversation. In light of this setback, we continue to have hope. The Dobbs decision has made a difference: studies show there were 5,000 less abortions in the two months following the overturn of Roe v Wade. We’re not alone in our face-to-face work with women facing unplanned pregnancies. My Life Clinic is working alongside many pregnancy resource centers in Missouri that are meeting women where they are, loving them well, and answering practical needs. Moments like this call us to prayer. We deeply desire for abortion to become unthinkable and we know that this is only possible if hearts are changed. We’re encouraged by The Gospel Coalition’s response to Tuesday’s news here. “We can fight the pro-life fight joyfully in the power of the Spirit, knowing one day the One who conquered death will return to make all things new.”
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March 2024
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