MHPRR Letter to the Public

We are physicians, and other health care professionals in Missouri that are gravely concerned for the well-being of our patients. With the Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade and the enactment of Missouri’s “trigger ban”, which made nearly all abortion care illegal, it has become painfully clear that women in Missouri have lost their bodily autonomy, basic human rights, and access to life-saving medical care.

We stand steadfast in our support of the sanctity and privacy of the relationship that a patient has with their physician and other healthcare providers. The decision to perform an abortion should be left solely to the patient and a healthcare professional. What defines and necessitates abortion is nuanced and no explanation should be required. Doctors are guided by evidence-based medicine and are bound by the commitment to do no harm. A government that takes away the freedom of people to access critical medical care that directly leads to the illness and death of countless people and threatens healthcare providers with criminal penalties for upholding their professional obligations is un-American.

As physicians and healthcare professionals of many specialties, we are calling on Missouri Governor Mike Parson, and all elected and appointed government officials in Missouri, to protect lives by recognizing and upholding the right to access abortion care in Missouri and demand that Missouri’s HB 126, the “trigger ban” and all restrictions on abortion care be repealed. We ask that our public officials support reproductive autonomy and respect our basic rights to live our lives free from government intrusion into this most personal and private realm.

Where these officials fail to act, we call on all healthcare professionals to uphold their duty to their patients to organize and gather political support for laws and initiatives that protect personal bodily autonomy for all Missourians.