Home sweet home! My home state of Missouri recently enacted trigger laws that effectively outlawed abortion after the Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision in 2022. Missouri’s attorney general even bragged about being the first state to pass the law less than 10 minutes after the court’s decision. This is why I, alongside Karlie Kloss, a fellow St. Louisian and self-appointed kid sister, embarked on an activist journey this week to advocate for Amendment 3, a bill that aims to end the abortion ban and is on the ballot on November 5.
Karlie and I spent the day canvassing in South County with our friends Jen Rubio, Selby Drummond, and Molly Howard. In addition to going door-to-door, Karlie organized a screening of two short films commissioned with Gateway Coalition, a collective she founded to support women’s health clinics in the Midwest. Chelsea Clinton also played a significant role by organizing a panel discussion with Amanda Zurawski, a Texas woman who faced severe consequences due to strict abortion laws in her state.
States like Missouri and Texas currently have laws that outlaw abortions in nearly all circumstances, leaving pregnant women in traumatic situations with limited options for medical care. Chelsea and her mother, Hillary Clinton, spent two years working on a documentary called Zurawski v Texas, shedding light on the struggles faced by women in Texas who were denied medically necessary abortion care.
I understand that as a gay man, some may question why I am so passionate about abortion rights. However, it is not just about abortion – it is about the broader implications of restricting reproductive rights. If laws like these are allowed to stand, what will be next? IVF, gay rights, gay marriage? I firmly believe that individuals and their families should have the freedom to make decisions about pregnancy and abortion, just as I have the right to love who I want and build a family of my own.
I urge my fellow Missourians to vote YES on Amendment 3 on November 5, and I encourage all Americans to vote with their conscience in the upcoming presidential election. It is crucial to send a message to our local and federal legislatures about the importance of reproductive rights and personal freedoms.
During our time in St. Louis, we also took the opportunity to visit the St. Louis Art Museum and indulge in some local cuisine, including Imo’s pizza, Ted Drewe’s ice cream, and ooey gooey butter cake. These iconic St. Louis foods added a touch of local flavor to our advocacy efforts, reminding us of the unique charm and culture of our home state.
