Since the 2022 Dobbs ruling in which the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, abortion advocates have rallied at the state level to remove as many restrictions as possible. 

In November, seven more states enshrined abortion rights into their constitutions, doubling the number that have loosened abortion restrictions in the wake of the high court’s landmark decision.

Pro-abortion amendments passed last year in Arizona (62%), Colorado (61%), Maryland (74%), Missouri (51.6%), Montana (57%), Nevada (55%) and New York (62%). The Nevada amendment must pass again in 2026 to take effect.

But not all was lost in the battle for the sanctity of human life as voters in Florida, Nebraska and South Dakota defeated efforts to loosen abortion restrictions in their states.

And in Missouri, where its abortion rights amendment overturns 52 pro-life laws on the books—including parental consent and notification—Attorney General Andrew Bailey remains committed as ever to defending pro-life causes. 

“I want Missouri to be the safest state in the nation for children,” Bailey said in October while speaking at the Family Research Council’s Pray Vote Stand Summit in Washington, D.C. “And Planned Parenthood is an institution of evil. Make no mistake about it. They care more about the destruction of human life than they do the health and safety of women and children. … But the lawsuits we have are shining the light of truth and exposing this institution of evil in its destructive ways.”

And truth is winning. In late November, a state court upheld Missouri’s Save Adolescents from Experimentation Act setting precedent for 25 other states with similar legislation protecting minors from gender transition procedures. 

“It starts with abortion, the destruction of a human life, and it moves to transgender,” Bailey continued. “They want to convince you this is health care. There’s no health care about it. This is the mutilation of young, innocent children with no science or medicine to back it up. And Planned Parenthood has been on the forefront of that. … And I’ve said it before, and I’m proud to say it again: How dare anyone tell those kids God put them in the wrong body. We know He doesn’t make mistakes. And so, the lawsuits, investigations, those are how we fight back and try to put a stop to these institutions of evil, protect women and children, and again, shine the light of truth on these issues.”

Bailey, who strongly opposed the amendment’s inclusion on the ballot, called Amendment 3 “abhorrent,” according to Missourinet.com. 

“I think it’s a legal monstrosity,” Bailey continued. “I think it’s going to cause enormous problems for the people of the state of Missouri, and it’s not only going to result in the destruction … of human life, but it’s going to invite a parade of horribles that are going to attempt to fit under this vague and ambiguous language that they specifically chose.”

Missouri has allowed abortions only in cases of medical emergencies without exceptions for rape or incest. The amendment, however, does not explicitly undo the law, meaning pro-abortion advocates must sue to overturn the ban. So, Planned Parenthood officials filed a lawsuit on Nov. 6, Comprehensive Health of Planned Parenthood Great Plains and Planned Parenthood Great Rivers-Missouri v. The State of Missouri, et al.

Meanwhile, Amendment 3 recognizes a “fundamental right to reproductive freedom,” which the measure defines as the right to make decisions “about all matters relating to reproductive health care, including but not limited to prenatal care, childbirth, postpartum care, birth control, abortion care, miscarriage care, and respectful birthing conditions.” 

The measure also prohibits the General Assembly from banning abortion until fetal viability, defined in the amendment as the point in pregnancy when there’s a significant chance the fetus can survive outside the womb without extraordinary medical measures. 

This month, Republicans in the state legislature are expected to pass a ban on abortions late in pregnancy. Because of the new amendment, any post-viability ban would be required to allow exceptions for the life, physical and mental health of the mother.

As for Bailey, an Iraq War and Army veteran, husband and father of four young children—and newly elected Missouri attorney general after being appointed to the post in 2022—his mission is clear.

“I pray daily for my heart to be bent to His will and for people to see His will in the work that I do,” Bailey declared at the Pray Vote Stand Summit. “The Bible is the inerrant Word of God, and the Holy Spirit guides me through the Scripture as I study on a daily basis. And that gives me the edification I need to fight back against the enemies of truth, against the enemies of honesty, against the enemies of the rule of law that seek to undermine our system of government. … My battlefield is to fight those fights in the courtroom every day.”

Citing free speech infringements during the COVID-19 pandemic, Bailey warned that “Big Tech oligarchs in Silicon Valley” may target Christians.

“If they can silence our voices in opposition to failed COVID policies and tyranny, how long until they deemphasize and deplatform Christian voices who are preaching the Gospel? We can’t let that happen. That’s why this fight is so important.” ©2024 BGEA 

Photo: Francis Chung / POLITICO / AP