As the votes were counted and the polls were closed, the final decision to overturn the abortion ban in Missouri contradicted the overwhelming support for Donald Trump and other Republicans across the state.
Amendment 3 pushes the implementation of reproductive legislation. Along with that, it lifts the total ban of abortion and allows states to reconsider their own abortion laws. As of November fifth, Missouri overturned the total ban and settled on allowing abortion to be legal before fetal viability. Missouri was the first state to enforce a total ban on abortion. Now, just two years later, what has changed?.
“I was really upset that it was lifted because I was, like, hoping that it would be a complete ban. Being Catholic, I am fully pro life. I want there to be all respect for life, but then even, without my faith, just for life in general. I just want to have that respect for life, across the nation, and my hope was that it could be banned in the state,” senior and Pro Life Club President, Erica Juergensmeyer said.
Donald Trump has made his mark on the country since he has now been elected again for presidency since his first term in 2016. The Republican party stands strongly with Trump and the majority of his decisions. Trump’s strong impact on the Republican party makes many people look to him as an advocate for the general Republican ideals.
“My thought is that most people who voted for Trump would also vote for life, but I know that’s not true across the board. I just think that’s just, typically the view,” Juergensmeyer said.
Ideals of the party were dramatically opposed to the idea of abortion being legal. Because of this, it was implied that Trump would be heavy on banning abortion. However, according to an interview with Trump, when he was asked about his stance on abortion his response was more complicated than people thought.
“I am like Ronald Regan before me. The exceptions are very important to me, and thats the life of the mother, rape and incest,” Trump said, according to The National Catholic Reporter.
This answer unfortunately is believed to have inspired some Republican voters to support the uplifted ban with enforced regulations.
Whilst Trump is heavily Pro-Life, he speaks out on the importance of letting states decide their own laws and restrictions concerning abortion. When asked about his position in the overturning of Roe v. Wade, he expressed joy and excitement towards how the situation was handled.
“I’m very proud of what we did. Everybody wanted it to be back in the states where it belongs. The states are voting, and, frankly, some of the votes are very liberal by comparison to what people may have thought. But it’s now back in the states. It’s an issue that’s torn the country apart for 52 years. And now, everybody wanted it: Democrats, Republicans, conservatives, liberals, all legal scholars wanted it back in the states. And now we did that. And I have to tell you, I give great credit to brilliant Supreme Court justices. We had six brilliant Supreme Court justices, and they had great courage. Our country will now come together,” Trump said, according to The National Catholic Reporter.
The Catholic Church holds a firm stance against abortion, viewing it as a grave moral wrong. According to Catholic teachings, life begins at conception, and every human life is sacred and deserves protection. The Church believes that abortion violates the sanctity of human life and is therefore considered a serious sin. This viewpoint is rooted in the belief that all life is a gift from God and that only God has the authority to end it. The Church encourages alternatives to abortion, such as adoption, and provides support for pregnant women through various charitable organizations.
“As a Catholic community, we are affected because it’s something that we did not want to happen, we did not want the abortion ban to be lifted. Does it affect our day to day life here at St Dominic? Not necessarily, no. But what it does for me is, I think it puts a greater importance on the need just to continue to pray,” Assistant Principal for Student Life and Catholic Identity Fr. Patrick said.
As a Catholic community, it is throughout these times that it is crucial to pray for the country, and hope the people of it will seek the Lord in these times.
“Besides prayer, I think that there are two kinds of ways that I look at that. One is advocacy, so I think the first thing is, what is it that we can be doing to help advocate for the anti abortion movement,” Fr. Patrick said.
There are many things the community can do as a whole in order to fight for this cause, it is imperative that movements such as the Pro-Life movement are recognized.
