Speaking Personally: When it comes to life, a battle lost is not a war won

The way Missouri media outlets are reporting on HJR73 is disingenuous and the farthest thing from impartial. I'm sick of seeing headlines accusing the legislature of "not respecting the will of the voters."

 

Local journalism is sometimes referred to as the fourth branch of democracy, the essential arm of society that holds elected officials accountable. I believe this wholeheartedly, and I have no hesitation using this opinion page, or any other page of this publication, to hold our local officials accountable.

 

That said, I realize this may be a surprising take from me, but I mean it.

 

The legislature did not disrespect the will of the voters in passing HJR73. If anything, representatives for Howell County would have heard from me if they had simply let Amendment 3 stand. Both State Sen. Brad Hudson (R-33) and State Rep. Lisa Durnell (R-154) campaigned, and were elected, on a pro-life platform. Howell County defeated Amendment 3 by 71% of the vote. Thus, they are doing their respective jobs in a representative republic, fighting legislative battles the voters elected them to do.

 

The narrow statewide triumph of Amendment 3 in November was a battle won, not the end of a war. No matter which side lost, there was always going to be a reaction from the opposite camp. It just so happens that the pro-life cause lost last time.

 

Did you really think the movement that bided its time from 1973 until 2022 for Roe v. Wade to be overturned would stop after a single vote in Missouri?

 

More to the point, if the pro-choice side had lost in November, I do not believe they would have stopped either. With a meager 51% statewide majority passing the amendment that enshrined abortion into the Missouri Constitution, neither side of this divisive issue would have been willing to "respect the will of the voters," as it were. The stakes are too high.

 

Consider both sides for a moment. From the pro-choice perspective, the right to abortion is a bulwark protecting the rights of women. Without it, pro-choicers see a slippery slope that drags women back to the era of financial dependence and second-class citizenship.

 

Pro-lifers believe unborn children are living human beings who have a right to stay alive. We say abortion is a human-rights violation.

 

There will never be a détente until the two camps can agree *which* humans' rights are most important. Neither side has been above using shock tactics, rivers of money from dubious sources or legal maneuvers. That's why this has been an effective accusation. It's easy to believe either side would stop at nothing to win.

 

However, what the Missouri legislature did this session with HJR73, if anything, affirms the will of the voters who have sent a Republican supermajority to Jefferson City for all the years of my life. Pro-life Republicans, representing the pro-life voters who elected them, are sending a new question to voters in November 2026.

 

Namely, "Do we want to ban abortion with exceptions?" Those exceptions are rape, incest, the life of the mother, and fatal fetal anomalies.

 

Readers, you know me. This won't be the last time you hear from me on this vote, so I won't get into its details here. What I'm hoping you will take away today is this: do not be fooled by my colleagues who are using headlines to campaign for the pro-choice side.

 

Simply put, introducing a new ballot measure that represents the values of your constituents is not "disregarding the will of the voters." In fact, it's the opposite. Our legislature is actually legislating. Had that been the case in previous sessions of the Missouri Legislature, it's likely the initiative petition that led to HJR 73 never would've appeared on a statewide ballot.

 

To my colleagues running that headline, or perpetuating that narrative, you are why trust in local media is eroding. You are part of the problem. Do better. Our communities deserve it.