This week, it was reported that the race for Missouri’s First Congressional District is the third most expensive primary in U.S. history. But the money pouring in isn’t from CD-1, or even Missourians for that matter. The same anti-abortion special interests propping up dangerous politicians like Missouri’s Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft, and the very architects of Missouri’s abortion ban are funneling in cash to stand up a campaign against St. Louis’ beloved Congresswoman Cori Bush.
Right now, Missourians live under a dangerous total abortion ban, with no exceptions for survivors of rape and incest. There is no question the immense harm Missourians have suffered, over the past two years, and even before the total abortion ban. Rates of maternal mortality and infant death are up in states with abortion bans like ours. The rate of pregnancy resulting from rape is at an all-time high, and rape survivors are being denied access to abortions. Pregnant women are forced to wait until they are sick enough to receive care and Missourians are even being denied emergency medical care, resulting in the first federal EMTALA challenge over denied abortion care in US history.
But there is hope at the ballot box. This year in November, Missouri has the opportunity to end this cruel ban through a vote of the people— and next week, in St. Louis we have the opportunity to vote on a pro-choice champion to make sure this work continues on the federal level.
This week, Congresswoman Cori Bush secured another national abortion rights organization’s endorsement, adding Vote Pro-Choice to the list of local and national women’s and reproductive rights groups including Planned Parenthood Action Fund, Reproductive Freedom for All, National Women’s Political Caucus, and Abortion Action Missouri.
Some argue it is sufficient that both candidates in this race are pro-choice, and yes, Bush’s well-funded opposition says he is pro-choice. But in this moment, it’s not enough to just be pro-choice.
Bush is a former nurse and pastor, and an activist who legislates out of her lived experience. She centers on issues of bodily autonomy because she has lived them, courageously sharing her story of accessing abortion and surviving sexual violence to help our community know they are not alone. She has authored six congressional bills to restore, protect, and expand access to abortion and the full scope of reproductive health care, in addition to passing 26 bills & voting with President Biden 90% of the time.
As an issue advocacy organization we have to select the best candidate to advance our goal of liberated abortion access and reproductive freedom for all Missourians. This year, with abortion on the ballot, for voters who consider reproductive rights their central issue, there is one clear choice: Congresswoman Cori Bush.
Abortion Action MO
