Just a few weeks ago marked perhaps the most shameful anniversary our country passes every year – the anniversary of Roe v. Wade. It’s hard to believe it’s been nearly 50 years since this national disgrace was imposed on the American people. To put that timeframe in perspective, over half of all Americans weren’t even alive in 1973 when seven Supreme Court justices magically found a right to infanticide in the Constitution almost 200 years after it was written. We’ve been through 10 presidents since then and over a thousand members of Congress. There isn’t one of the Supreme Court justices who decided Roe v. Wade still on the court. In fact, not one of them is still alive.

It’s both shocking and profoundly sad that as a country we’ve endured 50 years of the legalized murder of these children. It’s our country’s great sin of the past half century. It is incompatible in so many ways with who we are as a country and the values we honor as a people. Even the words of the Declaration of Independence are an indictment of abortion: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed, by their Creator, with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.”

In that time, there have been over 62 million abortions performed, according to National Right to Life. That number is unfathomable. That’s 62 million children denied life; 62 million children who will never run and play with other children; 62 million children who will never have children and grandchildren of their own. It’s almost the entire population of France. Imagine that – the population of an entire country wiped off the face of the Earth. If that were to happen, it would be unacceptable to the entire world. There would be calls to do everything in our power to prevent it. We would mobilize all our resources into saving those people’s lives. But with abortion, much of our country goes on either oblivious to what is happening, or are aware, but are indifferent to it. Some of those people think this is a political debate. It’s not. It’s about human dignity. It’s about defending those who don’t have a voice.

It’s time – past time – to do something about this. It’s time to end abortion in this country. It’s time to regain our identity as a moral people, a people that value and protect life, and a people who view children as what they are – a gift from God. This is the year to make abolition of abortion a reality. Every state should pass as many pro-life bills as possible like Senate Bill 699 – the Abolition of Abortion in Missouri Act – or my own bill, Senate Bill 778, which is modeled after the pro-life bill Texas passed last year that has already been upheld by various courts and is saving the lives of countless children. This could also be the year the U.S. Supreme Court finally overturns Roe v. Wade. The court should ignore all the intellectual elitists and the mainstream media and do its constitutional duty: uphold the law and overturn Roe.

My position has been and always will be on the side of life. Our government was formed to protect our God-given rights, and the first right listed in the Declaration of Independence was life. It’s our responsibility, all of us, to fight for these children – to fight with every fiber of our being – to end abortion and restore our country to one that is moral, just and God-fearing.

“Rescue those who are unjustly sentenced to die; save them as they stagger to their death. Don’t excuse yourself by saying, ‘Look, we didn’t know.’ For God understands all hearts, and he sees you. He who guards your soul knows you knew. He will repay all people as their actions deserve.” Proverbs 24:11-12

If you have any ideas, questions and concern, please feel free to contact me at the State Capitol: (573) 751-2108, rick.brattin@senate.mo.gov or by writing to Sen. Rick Brattin, Missouri State Capitol, Room 331, Jefferson City, MO 65101.

God bless and thank you for the opportunity to work for you in the Missouri Senate.