Father Maassen's Message - 02/04/2024

Two pro-abortion groups are attempting to put an initiative on the November ballot making abortion legal in the state of Missouri. There are currently 17 Initiative Petitions which these groups are considering for the ballot. In Missouri, the number of signatures required to qualify an initiated constitutional amendment for the ballot is equal to 8 percent of the votes cast for governor in the previous gubernatorial election in six of the eight state congressional districts. Signatures must be filed with the secretary of state six months prior to the election.

One group has already begun collecting signatures for their petition. If you are approached and solicited to sign the petition, please DECLINE TO SIGN! The wording on these petitions is extremely misleading. Under the guise of “the right to make and carry out decisions about all matters relating to reproductive health care, including but not limited to prenatal care, childbirth, postpartum care, birth control, abortion care, miscarriage care, and respectful birthing conditions,” some of the petitions would actually:

•    Allow abortions to be performed on pregnant minors WITHOUT parental consent
•    Allow abortion for “physical or mental health” reasons from conception to birth
•    Allow anyone to perform abortions without a healthcare license
•    Deny ability to sue for malpractice
•    Pregnancy resource centers will be forced to refer for abortions
•    Abortion clinics will no longer be required to offer or show a mother her baby’s ultrasound image
•    Force the taxpayer to pay for abortion
 

These petitions will HARM WOMEN by potentially exposing them to substandard medical procedures performed by non-qualified personnel, without the right to legal recourse.

Please DECLINE TO SIGN any petition that would enshrine in the Missouri Constitution a legal right to end the life of the innocent unborn for virtually any reason. As stated in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, “From its conception, the child has the right to life. Direct abortion, that is, abortion willed as an end or as a means, is a “criminal” practice (GS 27 §3 gravely contrary to moral law. (CCC 2322)

For more information on how you can be a pro-life voice, visit East Central MO Right to Life on Facebook. Meetings are held monthly at St. Francis Borgia.