Interstate abortions should be of concern to every pro-life activist. Missouri made headlines for being the first state in the union with no functioning abortion facilities. However, that does not mean the unborn children of Missouri are safe. Planned Parenthood’s Saint Louis location is still licensed to provide abortions, but they choose instead to ship expecting mothers across the Mississippi River to have their children killed. They do this because Illinois has far fewer regulations on abortion, meaning Planned Parenthood can cut corners when it comes to the mother’s safety and her ability to make an informed choice.
Saint Louis is not the only city where this issue comes up. Nearly half of abortions performed in Kansas actually come from Missouri residents, according to the Kansas Department of Health. The streaming content service HBO Max even released a sickening movie about a Missouri teenager traveling to another state to get an abortion withou no t telling her parents. The movie, called Unpregnant, was billed as a comedy. One particularly nauseating review of the movie commended how Unpregnant cast abortion as “not only essential but ordinary, perhaps even comic.” Despite what this movie may claim, there is nothing comic about abortion, no matter what state it is performed in.
As pro-life states take bold action to fight back against the scourge of abortion, the practice of interstate abortion is growing in prominence. America’s unborn children will never be safe until action has been taken in every state to protect them. However, there is a deeply personal application we can all make as well. Just because your town does not have an abortion facility does not mean that desperate mothers are not being tempted with abortion. Explore the possibility of volunteering at a local pregnancy resource center. If your town does not have one, consider partnering with a local church or pro-life group to make pregnancy resources available to those that need it. You never know how many children could be saved if you make abortion alternatives easier to reach than a distant abortion provider. The fight against interstate abortion needs our help. Be aware and be involved.
