Missouri House Committee Hears Abolition Bills
Christians present to testify in favor of HB 1072 and HB 1417 at the committee hearing on Tuesday.
On Tuesday, April 15, members of the Missouri House Children and Families Committee heard testimony on HB 1072, the Missouri Prenatal Equal Protection Act, as well as HB 1417, which is a duplicate of the same legislation.
During the first hour of the hearing, Representative Justin Sparks (R) and Representative Burt Whaley (R), the sponsors of HB 1072 and HB 1417 respectively, defended their legislation. During the second hour, committee members heard testimony on the equal protection bills.
Christians Testify in Favor of Abolition
While only two pro-abortion activists testified against HB 1072 and HB 1417, Christians from across the state of Missouri arrived in Jefferson City to provide testimony in favor of the bills. Many of them drove in the early hours of the morning from across the state on very short notice, learning about the hearing less than 24 hours in advance. Supporters easily outnumbered the pro-abortion activists who came to testify against the legislation.
Today's hearing in Missouri was a major success in advancing the conversation on equal protection in the state. We are grateful to the Christians who showed up on incredibly short notice to testify on behalf of their preborn neighbors.
— Foundation to Abolish Abortion (@AbolitionistFAA) April 15, 2025
We will be posting more videos and updates… pic.twitter.com/CNGHUJ9u99
Several dozen Christians filed written testimony online as well, making clear to lawmakers that Christians across the state expect them to abolish abortion and to establish equal protection for preborn babies.
What About Missouri’s Pro-Abortion Constitutional Amendment?
Bradley Pierce, president of the Foundation to Abolish Abortion, testified to committee members that despite Amendment 3 passing last year and enshrining abortion into the Missouri state constitution via ballot measure, that provision is null and void because it violates the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment, and more importantly, the higher law of God.
“I know people talk about the will of the voters. It’s an extremely valuable thing, but ultimately we do not live in a pure democracy. We do live in a constitutional republic, and so even the will of the voters is subject to the state constitution and the federal Constitution,” Pierce said.
We are a constitutional republic, not a democracy.
— Foundation to Abolish Abortion (@AbolitionistFAA) April 15, 2025
It is irrelevant that Missouri voters approved Amendment 3 (the right to abortion amendment). Missouri legislators have a duty before God and under the U.S. Constitution to abolish abortion regardless of what the voters voted… pic.twitter.com/iHkDh5hXRI
As an example, Pierce noted that even if a majority of voters approved a ballot measure reintroducing slavery to Missouri, such a provision would be null and void because it violates the Constitution. In the same way, enshrining abortion into the state constitution violates the Fourteenth Amendment, making it null and void immediately.
Pierce added that HB 1072 and HB 1417 would be the only statutes in the state of Missouri that define personhood and provide equal protection, opening the opportunity for a lawsuit against the enshrinement of Amendment 3.
Pro-Life Establishment Dodges Hearing
Some leading Pro-Life establishment groups killed the previous equal protection bill introduced in Missouri. But this year, they neither appeared at the hearing nor submitted written testimony.
Susan Klein of Missouri Right to Life, which is a state affiliate of National Right to Life, along with Samuel Lee of Campaign Life Missouri testified two years ago against SB 356, the Abolition of Abortion in Missouri Act, which they opposed alongside Planned Parenthood and other pro-abortion activists. This time nobody from either group appeared to offer public testimony against HB 1417 and HB 1072.
The Hearing Concludes
After two hours of testimony, the hearing came to a prompt close as committee members rushed to the Missouri House floor for a session.
The hearing showed that meaningful ground is being gained in Missouri for the abolition of abortion. In contrast to the last hearing in Missouri two years ago, in which both sides were only given a few minutes each to testify, the leaders of the Missouri House Children and Families Committee carved out two hours for a full hearing on HB 1417 and HB 1072. As the hearing progressed, many Republican members of the committee were seen nodding in agreement as the arguments for equal protection were presented by Christians desiring to honor God and love their preborn neighbors as themselves.