JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Missouri Right to Life held it’s annual “Show Me Life” event today, bringing a few hundred advocates to the Capitol to push lawmakers to continue to support “pro-life” policies.
Republicans have given MRL several wins in just the past few years. Last year, Missouri became one of just three states to increase its mandatory waiting period for abortions to 72 hours, a move that was hailed by MRL members. This year, MRL is supporting measures to increase standards for inspecting abortion facilities, prohibit “abortion by dismemberment” and “Simon’s Law,” which changes the laws regarding Do No Resuscitate orders and minor children.
Susan Klein, legislative liaison for MRL, said the organization had eight pages of bills they were supporting this year, and told The Missouri Times that members spent much of the day visiting individual lawmakers.
MRL has become increasingly broad over the years with respect to its legislative agenda. The group now plays an active part in a variety of bills, including those dealing with end-of-life decisions, contraception, and embryonic stem cell research.
“We encourage people to go visit legislators, we are a grassroots organization,” Klein said. “We want to know that, when we get pro-life candidates elected, that they are doing the business of protecting human beings when they get here.”
Klein said that the Missouri legislature was largely supportive of the MRL agenda, but that some issues required more education before members would support them with vigor.
MRL remains a prominent grassroots organization in Republican politics, and their endorsement is still coveted in Republican primaries, where they rank various lawmakers based on their level of support for “pro-life” issues.
“It’s not just about abortion,” Klein said. “You’ve got the human embryonic stem cell issue, you’ve got Obamacare and the rationing of healthcare, so we address the issues as they come up. End of life decisions are huge right now, with Obamacare.”
Collin Reischman was the Managing Editor for The Missouri Times, and a graduate of Webster University with a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism.
