JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – Missouri Right to Life (MRL), one of the largest and oldest grassroots networks in Missouri, was quick to defend Sen. Kurt Schaefer, chairman of the Sanctity of Life committee, after hundreds of of Planned Parenthood supporters gathered at the University of Missouri, shaming the university for cutting ties with the embroiled organization.
Attendees of the rally held a variety of signs, one of the most attention-grabbing being one that says “Schaefer for FUHRER.”
The signs and rallying cries were called “offensive” by Right to Life-ers.
Dave Plemmons, chairman of the MRL Political Action Committee, said he was “saddened” to see “such a hate-filled reaction to public officials standing up for the public trust and the health of women and children.”
“There is no room for hate against public officials,” Plemmons said.
Planned Parenthood of Kansas and Mid-Missouri’s President and CEO Laura McQuade called out Schaefer herself yesterday at the rally.
“Sen. Schaefer has been pretending to serve the people of Missouri for less than 10 years,” said McQuade.
McQuade’s comments were amplified by Democratic state Rep. Stacy Newman, who said, “Right now we’ve got the legislature deciding what is best for women, and to me, that’s wrong.”
Anti-abortion voters have rallied and shown support for the ongoing investigation by the Sanctity of Life Committee. Schaefer, just weeks ago, spoke to a group of pro-life Missourians alongside committee members and Senate colleagues, who all received recognition from the group for their work.
“What the committee is doing, basically, is protecting life and making sure the laws of the State of Missouri are enforced,” Sen. Kurt Schaefer replied yesterday as Democrats came out against the committee. “I think that is what the People of Missouri want: overall, to choose life, and overall, strong law enforcement. That’s what I’m about and that’s what I’m going to do.”
MRL’s general disappointment lies in #StandwithPP supporters’ treatment of public officials and their responsibilities when it comes to taxpayer-funded institutions.
“There is a public trust with elected officials to make sure that public entities are safety-oriented and not partnered with questionable, at the least, criminal, at the worst, enterprises,” Plemmons said.
Rachael Herndon was the editor at The Missouri Times and also produced This Week in Missouri Politics, published Missouri Times Magazine, and co-hosted the #MoLeg podcast. She joined The Missouri Times in 2014, returning to political reporting after working as a campaign and legislative staffer.
Rachael studied at the University of Missouri – Columbia. She lives in Jefferson City with her husband, Brandon, and their two children.
