MU students, activists and Missouri political candidates – including Democratic Rep. Cori Bush – attended the Women’s Wave Pro-Choice Rally on Oct. 8 in front of the Boone County Courthouse from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.
According to Event Coordinator Amie Mette, the organizer of the rally, CoMO for Choice has held similar events in the past.
“It’s been a good way for the community to come together and feel energized, but also feel like they have a place to be vulnerable and a place to let those emotions out,” Mette said.
In light of the overturning of Roe v. Wade, local reproductive rights organizations are eager to inform voters about pro-choice Missouri candidates.
“There are a lot of things that we would have to do in this country in order to obtain reproductive freedom,” Mette said. “We are going to have to level the playing field; we need equity.”
A month out from the election, Mette organized the rally to keep the issue of abortion rights at the forefront of voters’ minds. The event featured Bush, an advocate for safe abortion rights, in connection with her “Roe the Vote: Reproductive Freedom Tour.”
“This particular tour is to make sure that we are turning out [to] vote and to make sure that people know about the misinformation campaigns,” Bush said. “Showing up, letting people see you and letting people hear from you is important. Presence makes a difference.”
Congressional candidates Bethany Mann, from the 3rd District, Douglas Mann, from the 50th District and Adrian Plank, from the 47th District, spoke at the event. In her speech, Bethany Mann described the implications of the recent criminalization of abortion in Missouri.
“There are parts of the state where you have to drive hours just to go to a hospital where there might even be an OB-GYN on staff,” Bethany Mann said. “No person should ever have to wait in the hospital bleeding out, waiting for their doctor to call an administrator or a lawyer to figure out whether or not that person’s life would be saved.”
Months before Roe v. Wade was overturned, Bethany Mann found herself in a life-threatening situation. Amid concerns that she was experiencing complications with her pregnancy, she decided to go to the hospital. Her husband and baby were forced to stay home due to COVID-19 restrictions.
During her hospital visit, Mann described experiencing pain, cramping and excessive bleeding. Showing no signs of improvement, doctors recommended that she receive an abortion.
“I had three or four nurses who were cleaning me up, that’s how bad I was bleeding,” Mann said. “And all [I was] saying [was] ‘Please save my life so I can get home to my baby.’”
If elected to office, Bethany Mann plans to support legislation such as the Women’s Health Protection Act, the PRO Act, expanding access to Telehealth and Internet Medicine, passing Medicare for everyone and getting rid of the Hyde Amendment.
President of Mizzou College Democrats and senior Karlee Seek gave a speech introducing the candidates at the rally. Seek advocated for making sure the community was aware of students’ concerns.
“There’s definitely a divide between campus and community,” Seek said. “We literally just had a rally this past week with the student coalition and the community did not know about it, and it could’ve been more attended … it’s just about making sure that we bridge those gaps because Mizzou is not just a facet of Columbia, it’s a part of Columbia.”
MSA Social Justice Committee Chair and junior Sarah Peters attended the event as a volunteer. Peters is passionate about creating change and encouraging students to get involved, specifically through voting.
“Go out and vote,” Peters said. “Never think that your vote isn’t important. Never think that you don’t have the power to make change. Always do everything that you can to use your political action and make change in your community.”
When speaking to reporters, Bush emphasized the closeness of the Nov. 8 Missouri election. “We only have 30 days to make a difference,” Bush said.
Oct. 12 is the last day for Missouri voters to register for the upcoming election.
Copy edited by Emily Rutledge