Abortion Action Missouri
JEFFERSON CITY, MO. ––Thousands of Missouri workers and community members representing labor, civil, abortion, and LGBTQ+ rights, racial justice, rural, and faith organizations packed the state Capitol rotunda today in protest. Corrupt lawmakers’ are making moves to serve authoritarianism and a wealthy elite by stripping Missourians of their freedoms to take paid sick days, access abortion and lifesaving health care, and have a fair say-so in choosing their elected leaders.
The “Stand Up, Fight Back” rally was co-sponsored by Abortion Action Missouri, Action St. Louis, Beacon Reproductive Health Network, Greater Springfield Indivisible, Heartland Alliance for Progress, Indivisible KC, Indivisible STL, Missouri Jobs With Justice, Missouri Workers Center, Planned Parenthood Great Plains Votes, Planned Parenthood Great Rivers Action, Progress MO, PROMO Missouri, SEIU Healthcare, SEIU Local 1, and UAW Locals 31, 249, and 2250.
Thousands of Missourians took to Jefferson City last year to protest state lawmakers’ actions to overturn the will of the people. The legislature gutted Proposition A paid sick days for 700,000 Missourians; banned healthcare for trans young people and the vote to legalize abortion with the Right to Reproductive Freedom Initiative; gutted the people’s initiative petition process; and served President Donald Trump’s authoritarian power grab by illegally redrawing the state’s congressional map and disproportionately silencing Black and Brown voters.
“Our coalition is united today around our state motto: Let the welfare of the people be the supreme law,” said Terrence Wise, low-wage worker and Missouri Workers Center leader who was named as the lead plaintiff in a lawsuit filed last year against the State of Missouri over the legislature’s illegal redistricting scheme. “This fight is personal to me. Because of corporate greed, I still get brightly colored letters in the mail threatening to shut off my utilities. An injury to one is an injury to all. If we want to win the freedoms and futures we deserve, we have to come together with one voice — Black, white, and brown; native and newcomer; gay, straight, cis, and trans; urban, rural, and suburban — and let our elected officials know that we won’t let them break up our strong, multiracial, vibrant working class communities. Organizing is our most powerful tool in the fight against authoritarianism. We the people will not rest until we win a Missouri that works for all of us.”
“In Senate District 15, we are seeing exactly what happens when politicians forget who they work for,” said Ashley Jaworski, leader with Abortion Action Missouri. “Our senator, David Gregory, betrayed his constituents when he voted in favor of the new tricky abortion ban that will now be in front of voters in November, despite the more than 60 percent of our district who voted to legalize abortion in 2024. Missourians believe in fairness, and that you don’t get to change the rules just because you lost. Missourians value personal freedom, the freedom to care for our families, make decisions about our own bodies, and have a real say in the laws that govern our lives. I got involved with Abortion Action Missouri because abortion saved my life. I stayed because this movement makes space for real people to tell the truth about their lives, and turn that truth into power.”
“From my paid sick time to my representation in Kansas City, I’m tired of state politicians cheating me out of my vote,” said LaTonya Sullivan, a nursing home worker and member of SEIU Healthcare. “As a nurse, I don’t have paid sick time. I have to go to work sick, bringing illness to a nursing home full of vulnerable people. My residents don’t deserve to be endangered for the sake of corporate greed and political power plays. It’s time for politicians to represent us, not themselves.”
“When politicians steal paid sick days, attack abortion access, freeze the minimum wage, scapegoat trans people, or rig our maps, that’s a labor issue – because it all hits working-class people first,” said Amy Minich, Organizing Chair for UAW Local 249 and volunteer leader with Missouri Jobs with Justice.
“I’ve worked in education for 38 years, and lawmakers are causing disastrous mental health issues for students and teachers,” said Elaine Brune, a retired public school teacher, coach, and administrator and volunteer with PROMO Missouri. “LGBTQ+ students are facing increased bullying because of who they know themselves to be. Teachers and educators cannot support queer students for fear of being fired. Instead of focusing on fixing our broken education system, politicians are focused on hurting LGBTQ+ students and educators — the backbone of our state.”
Other speakers included Dr. Amber Benge and Sherry Bailey.
Abortion Action Missouri is the leading grassroots pro-abortion advocacy organization in Missouri and works to foster and sustain a Midwest movement for control of our bodies, lives, and futures. We envision a world with stigma-free abortion access and reproductive freedom for all.