reproductive health care
Missouri voters spoke loud and clear: we want politicians out of reproductive health care! i respect that vote.
Two years ago, the people of Missouri voted with a resounding majority to allow women and their doctors to determine how to best manage their own reproductive health care, not politicians. Apparently the politicians currently running our State Legislature did not like the answer voters gave them when asked about this issue. So they put it back on the ballot and here we are just two years later voting on it again.
And this time, the sponsors added a couple of twists just to try to trick voters: Two years ago the initiative was called “Amendment 3” and we were asked to vote YES to protect women’s fundamental rights over their own health. This year the issue is also labeled “Amendment 3” but voters must vote NO to protect these rights.
You may also have heard that the 2026 version of Amendment 3 also includes a proposition to prohibit gender assignment medical care. This language was also added to confuse people and trick voters into thinking they are voting on a different issue than banning abortion. The true goal of the Amendment 3 is to bring back the abortion ban Missouri voters just overturned. VOTE NO ON AMENDMENT 3.
As a doctor I believe women should be empowered to make their own health care decisions
My position on abortion is clear. Women are to be protected and empowered to make their own reproductive decisions, and these decisions do not require approval from politicians.
From a medical standpoint, as an MD with training from St. Louis University and over 30 years of experience providing care, I know that over 30% of pregnancies naturally end in miscarriage, which in medical terms is called spontaneous abortion. Women experiencing miscarriage or other problems with pregnancy absolutely must be able to access immediate, safe medical care without interference from politicians who want to try to tell doctors what to do.
Banning abortions in Missouri places an impossible burden on physicians during emergency care of pregnant women. When a critically injured pregnant woman comes to the Emergency Room, the physician should not need to worry whether he or she will be criminally responsible for the end of the pregnancy.
As a medical ethics teacher and a Christian, I believe in respecting bodily autonomy and religious freedom
Ethically speaking, as a professor of medical ethics, I know that all humans are allowed to make decisions about their own body and their own health. We respect these decisions, even in circumstances where we might disagree. A fertilized ova is not a justification for the state to take away a woman’s capacity to make decisions about her own body.
From the standpoint of religion, I have a Masters in Theological Studies at Eden Seminary. My parents were Baptist ministers, and I continue to regularly attend church. I do not personally find my medical or ethical views on abortion to conflict with the Bible. But I also believe in religious freedom and the separation of church and state. We should not allow the state to dictate religion.
Do not be confused this year by the new “Amendment 3.” It is confusing, and restricts the rights of women. Two years ago we voted yes on “Amendment 3”. This year, VOTE NO ON AMENDMENT 3.