Listening and clarifying, praying and fasting: Parishioners offer public witness on Amendment 3
Cathy Boero stood by a table with a simple display and stacks of papers and pamphlets.
“I understand what it’s all about, and I’m voting yes,” one passer-by told her.
“Great!” said Mrs. Boero. “But there are a lot of people who are confused about this. So, if you could help educate others, that would be wonderful.”
She offered resources clarifying Amendment 3 through the lens of the sanctity of human life and the need for safeguards for healthcare.
“It’s all about educating people,” Mrs. Boero, a member of St. Anthony Parish in Sullivan in the St. Louis archdiocese, said of her activities that afternoon.
Mrs. Boero stood by where people were lined up for dinner at the Holy Cross Parish Fall Festival on Sept. 20.
She spoke to about 50 people, answering questions and addressing misunderstandings.
“I’m not going to tell anyone how to vote,” she said. “I’m going to tell you, ‘This is what happens if you vote no. This is what happens if you vote yes.’”
If passed by Missouri voters on Nov. 3, Amendment 3 (diojeffcity.org/amendment3) would restore safeguards and regulations on abortion that were removed or weakened by the narrow passage of an abortion-friendly amendment to the state’s Constitution in 2024.
Amendment 3 would also prohibit sex-change surgeries, cross-sex hormones and puberty blockers for children.
The amendment would:
- reinstate health and safety standards and allows for inspections at abortion clinics;
- reestablish the ability to sue physicians or facilities for malpractice, injury or death due to abortion procedures;
- require parental consent for minors seeking abortion;
- ban fetal organ harvesting; and
- ensure licensed facilities and physicians for abortions.
The amendment would allow restriction of abortions to cases of medical emergency, rape and incest under 12 weeks gestation, and fetal anomalies, and continue to ensure women’s ability to access medical care for medical emergencies, ectopic pregnancies and miscarriages.
“Right now, in our Missouri Constitution, we have abortion-on-demand for all nine months of pregnancy,” Mrs. Boero told people who approached her outside the Holy Cross Parish Hall.
“Your no vote will keep that okay,” she said. “A yes vote will bring back parental consent, informed consent, liability for abortion providers and clear standards for abortion facilities.”
One visitor said she’s against gender transitions for minors and was concerned about the effect the proposed amendment would have on that.
Mrs. Boero reassured her that Amendment 3 would prevent minors from undergoing gender transitions in this state.
In 2023, Missouri banned gender transition surgeries, puberty blockers, and cross-sex hormone therapy for children.
However, some of these provisions are set to expire in 2027; Amendment 3 would not only keep the current ban, but also enshrine it in the state constitution.
“I want to give people the information they need to make a good, informed decision,” Mrs. Boero later stated.
Listening with empathy
Claudia Galbraith staffed a Support Amendment 3 booth at a recent community festival in Jefferson City.
Accustomed to occasional confrontation while praying on the sidewalk outside a Columbia abortion facility, she said she found comparatively little friction in this venue.
“Mostly, it was either a thumbs-up, a nod or a yes, or they came over to shake my hand and say thank you for being here,” said Mrs. Galbraith, a member of St. Peter Parish in Jefferson City.
A few people gave a thumbs-down while walking by, “but overwhelmingly, most people were very happy that I was there,” she said.
Only late in the day did a conversation boil over.
A woman and her two adult daughters walked by the booth, and the mother became verbally abusive, including profanity.
Absorbing such vitriol can be unnerving, “but I make a point of remaining calm,” said Mrs. Galbraith. “Mostly, you just listen. People sometimes just need to vent.”
One of the daughters led her mother away, while the other remained behind to apologize.
“The daughter wanted to make sure we understood that women do need abortions,” said Mrs. Galbraith. “In doing so, she revealed the tragedy of her own abortions.”
The daughter wasn’t angry but agitated, making accusations and criticizing a political culture that would curtail access to abortion.
Mrs. Galbraith opened her heart and listened.
“It turned out that her mother had forced her to get two abortions,” Mrs. Galbraith noted.
“Go to Jesus”
Mrs. Boero is no stranger to grassroots advocacy but was hesitant about getting involved in Amendment 3.
“But now that I see the writing on the wall, I can’t turn my head,” she said.
Some people asked how she plans to vote, and only then did she tell them she’ll vote yes on Amendment 3.
Mrs. Galbraith has found that woman who have experienced an abortion are often dealing with inner conflict.
“The situations are often very difficult, there’s a lot of hurt, and I have nothing but sympathy for them,” she said.
When the daughter at the festival in Jefferson City engaged her in conversation, Mrs. Galbraith listened to understand, sought points of agreement and waited for an opportunity to plant a seed.
“We found common ground when it came to boys in girls’ sports,” said Mrs. Galbraith. “She was against that.”
Also, the woman couldn’t believe that the 2024 amendment allows for abortion through all nine months of pregnancy.
“Nobody supports that!” she said.
In time, the woman disclosed that when she was a teenager, her mother took her to get two abortions.
She never had any other children.
“I expressed my sorrow for her loss,” Mrs. Galbraith recounted. “We are living in a culture of death, which tells women they’ll solve their problems if they have an abortion, without talking about what abortion actually means — killing your child.”
Abortion didn’t solve this woman’s problem. She was dating an abusive older man and went on to have another abortion.
The woman did open up enough to say she believes in Jesus.
Mrs. Galbraith listened some more and urged her to “go to Jesus with this.”
“I don’t know where she ended up,” said Mrs. Galbraith. “But I do think we had a good discussion. By hearing her out, I think she understood that we sympathized with her situation, although we disagreed with the solution.”
The next morning, Mrs. Galbraith was on friendlier territory, greeting fellow parishioners outside St. Peter Church before and after Sunday Masses, handing out literature and yard signs, answering questions and praying for a good outcome.
Mrs. Boero said she’d love to see every parish organize an Amendment 3 outreach, with parishioners sharing information, calling fellow parishioners and even knocking on doors in neighborhoods.
Praying and fasting are also essential.
“I’m in a group that’s doing a 40-day fast together,” she said. “It’s like a tag team. Everybody takes a day to fast and pray for this.”
“After we’ve done all we can, we put it in God’s hands,” she said.
All within the Church who are in need of mercy and healing for past wounds or sins are invited and encouraged to seek God’s forgiveness and restoration through the Sacrament of Reconciliation with their pastor or any priest. God desires healing, mercy, and new life for all.
