What happened in pro-life Missouri? A conversation with Steve Rupp

Missouri was one of four states that held referenda on abortion on November 3, and one of the three where the pro-life cause lost.

Its pro-life Legislature sought to claw back the abortion-on-demand amendment adopted to its state constitution two years ago by an initiative process. The effort failed, 55-45%, a broader margin than the 2024 approval of abortion (51-49%), likely affected by the Democratic tidal wave in the 2026 midterms.

Catholic World Report spoke to Steve Rupp, President of Missouri Right to Life, about what happened at the polls.

CWR: Missouri voters rejected an effort to repeal a state constitutional amendment, adopted in 2024, that legalized abortion in the state. That “two-fer”–2024 approving abortion and 2026 not rescinding the approval–seemed out of place in Missouri, long a stalwart pro-life state. What happened?

Steve Rupp: The pro-life side was outspent $31 million (virtually 90% from out of state) to $5 million. Advocates of abortion used that money to lie to the people of Missouri, claiming that pro-life laws kill women. They said that women experiencing miscarriages and ectopic pregnancies were told to go out to the car and wait, where they supposedly bled out, because the doctors are afraid they might go to jail for treating them.

That is hogwash. No hospital in America will refuse a woman who has vaginal bleeding. And if they do, they should be sued for malpractice.

Also in 2024, the ballot language written by the Secretary of State was rewritten by a pro-abortion judge because of lawsuits by the abortion industry. The resulting language was almost verbatim what the abortion industry lawyers wrote. The first words voters saw in the booth were “The Right to Reproductive Freedom Initiative”—page one of the Planned Parenthood playbook.

And the majority of the press were nearly 100% in favor of the Amendment. So we had to battle the abortion money, lies, ballot language, and press. And after all of that, we only lost by 1.6%

All of those things repeated themselves in 2026. That, coupled with a growing culture of death in America’s increasingly secular society, caused us to lose by 5%; if we turned that 5%, we would have won. We can point fingers at a lack of voter turnout, Donald Trump, and a myriad of other issues, but assigning blame gets us nothing. We must now pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and fight on this new front.

CWR: Republicans kept control of the governorship and state legislature, but Democrats made gains, picking up 18 seats across both chambers. What will that mean for pro-life policies in Missouri? Do you expect the new legislature to be more skittish about pro-life legislation?

Rupp: We still have many ardently pro-life legislators. Many of them are emboldened to win hearts and minds and save as many babies from death as possible. We must now legislate to educate. That may be a little harder without the super-majority, but certainly still doable.

CWR: Are there pro-life laws that Missouri Right to Life hoped to enact that will have to be put on hold? Is it because of the 2024 constitutional change or the political shift in the legislature?

Rupp: Missouri’s state constitution now says that any restriction on abortion would be unconstitutional, so our legislators’ hands are tied. Our immediate focus is on educating the people of Missouri.

One educational tool will be to put into statute a provision to show Human Development Ultrasound Videos in both middle and high schools. The scientific community should applaud this use of modern technology to seed interest in medical, science, and research careers. Who would be against that? Planned Parenthood and the ACLU, because it exposes the truth of the beauty of life in the womb.

CWR: Missouri was once a distinctively pro-life state. What has happened in the Show Me State? And can that pro-life base be rebuilt?

Rupp: In one day, on November 5, 2024, Missouri went from being the most pro-life state to being one of the most pro-abortion states. But with God, anything is possible. We are not giving up. As a matter of fact, Missouri’s pro-life community has never been more unified and determined. We take the killing of innocent children in the womb by barbaric means personally. We take the exploiting and maiming of confused mothers personally. We will fight with every breath we take. We rebuild with the truth about what life is and the truth about what abortion is.

CWR: Democratic Senator Tom Eagleton was pro-life. Has the hollowing out of pro-life presence in the Democratic Party impacted Missouri? Is it possible to be a pro-life Democrat officeholder in Missouri today?

Rupp: Thirty years ago, we endorsed dozens of pro-life Democrats. We are non-partisan. The Democratic Party has moved so far left that we could not endorse a single Democrat in the last several elections. We’ve been told by pro-life Democrats that they are strictly forbidden by the party to say or do anything pro-life or they will be primaried out of office. So sad.

CWR: What kind of Congressional delegation, from a pro-life perspective, is Missouri sending to Washington?

Rupp: Six of our eight current Congressmen are pro-life. We lost one seat to a Socialist, trimming the pro-life majority to five of eight. We were one lawsuit away from having a seven-to-one map through reapportionment. With the new Congress coming in January, I don’t know what our wonderful five Congressmen will be able to accomplish. I hope they can at least slow the Socialists’ agenda. Both Missouri Senators, neither of whom was up for re-election this year, are pro-life.

CWR: Two years is an eternity in politics, but how do you think this year’s results may impact the reelection of pro-life Senator Eric Schmitt? Have any opposite candidates come forward, and where do they stand?

Rupp: I haven’t seen any opposite candidates at this point. Senator Schmitt is a stalwart. But you are correct: two years truly is an eternity. With the way America is heading, who can predict? I pray America will not continue to drift toward socialism. We need people like Eric to keep America free, and Missouri Right to Life will do everything we can to bring him back. He’s earned it.

CWR: Going forward, what is the most important thing Missouri Right to Life is going to do?

Rupp: We have to educate, educate, educate. Unfortunately, the prevailing strategy has been, “To win votes, do not talk about the baby. That turns people off.”

We’re not trying to win votes now. We’re trying to win hearts. Long-term, winning hearts will bring our culture back to a respect for that awesome gift of life. And long-term, not being afraid to expose what happens in an abortion will win minds. The incredible journey of life in the womb is compelling and needs to be shouted from the rooftops. And the incredible evil of killing innocent children in the womb by starving, poisoning, and dismembering also needs to be shouted from the rooftops. Missouri Right to Life is ready to do its part.

You may remember Texas Congressman Brandon Gill asking a witness what her favorite abortion was. Then he described several abortion techniques. She squirmed and had no answer. We are going to encourage all of our legislators to do the same and hold the abortion industry’s feet to the fire. Imagine every pro-life legislator at every level of government speaking the truth. That could turn the tide against the evil of abortion.

The silver lining in this battle has been that all of us have grown closer to Christ. And now we need Christ more than ever to give us the courage, determination, and love to bring Missouri back. We ask all Missourians to come and tell the truth with us. “The truth shall set you free!” So, stay tuned!

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