Recap: Midwest March for Life (Jefferson City, Missouri)
Hi All –
This year the Midwest March for Life invited me to give the final rally speech before the crowd marched around Missouri’s capitol. I love pumping people up, so I happily said yes.
The rally focused on Missouri’s Amendment 3, with many speakers emphasizing the importance of political action. My speech brought something more specific to the conversation: how to speak up in our own personal relationships and social circles.
Before the rally, Midwest March for Life had distributed 1,000 copies of Secular Pro-Life’s How to talk (not fight) about abortion flyer. This training material helps pro-lifers stop talking past people by finding common ground, listening attentively, and telling their stories. We all have the ability to speak up.
I built on that theme in my speech, and the crowd loved it. Afterward other speakers and activists let me know it was a favorite. I hope you like it too! You can watch here or read the transcript below.
Finally, socially appropriate yelling
Transcript
Hi, my name is Monica Snyder. I’m the executive director of Secular Pro-Life, which is an anti-abortion organization that makes secular arguments against abortion. We want to reach the broadest audience possible. It’s our whole thing.
We’re online. We’re on social media. Go find us, @secularprolife. We are a national organization – but I live in Missouri.
I didn’t always live in Missouri. I spent most of my adulthood in California, and I really resonated with what Mayra said about how not all states have the opportunity we have here. California is psychotic about abortion laws. They require – they force their public universities to provide abortion pills on campus. They use their taxpayer money to help Californians get abortions and to pay for travel costs for other people to come to the state to get abortions. They have a shield law. A doctor in California can mail abortion drugs anywhere in the country, and they will do nothing to help pro-life states enforce their laws.
California has not seen an abortion they don’t like, and it is quite something to live in a state like that as a pro-lifer. It’s a very uphill battle.
So, when I moved to Missouri, it was pretty amazing not long after when the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. And I woke up the next morning, and I thought how grateful I was to live in at least my state, which has some sort of sane protections for our prenatal children and for their mothers. I thought that was profound. It meant a lot to me.
And then in 2024, we lost it. Tens of millions of dollars poured into our state to buy a less than 2% victory, enshrine abortion into the state constitution in Missouri??
So listen, in 2026, I want you to help us take it back.
I am very grateful that you come out here today to stand in solidarity, to listen to all of these stories, and you’ve heard a lot of powerful things. The people on this stage, the organizations they represent are working very hard to get Amendment 3 passed, and I’m very grateful for that. But I’m telling you, we cannot do it without you.
So yes, I do want you to vote yes, but I also need you to talk. I need you to go out and talk. If you’re not sure how you can participate, whether with an organization or by yourself, you all have the power to speak. Okay? And I need you to go out and be a little louder.
Now if you have pro-life friends, make sure they know that they need to show up and vote yes on this amendment and tell them to also talk. If you have pro-choice friends or people on the fence, you should be good at talking to them too. Not just for this amendment, but in general, for the future of Missouri, for the future of the country. We need to be good at this.
Secular Pro-Life specializes in this. We are run by people who used to be pro-choice or spent most of their time in very pro-choice places like California. If you look in your rally bags, we put in a flyer that says how to talk, not fight, how to talk about abortion. It’s got a bunch of tips if you’re not sure, and our contact info.
Now, if you are the kind of person who is already very good at having controversial conversations in persuasive ways and you have the courage to do it, that’s wonderful. Go use your powers for good. If you are not sure how or you’re nervous, look at what we gave you and come talk to us. There’s lots of information available, but the point is every single one of us has the ability and the responsibility to speak.
So, learn about it, think about it, and get ready to talk. The best time to do it was months ago. The second best time is today. And even if you’re not ready yet, get ready. This fight is never going to be over, you guys. The other side has won a lot of ballot initiatives since Dobbs. And they have deluded themselves into believing that means they have a mandate from the masses. I want you to help me liberate them from that delusion. Do you understand?
They haven’t won every ballot initiative, and I want Missouri to be the first state where they learn that even the ones that have won, not for long. Okay? Imagine waking up in Missouri and thinking we were the first state to take it back. These guys are never going to be allowed to rest. They will have to fight for every inch they gain because we are never going to drop this. I am in this fight for life. That is a double meaning. It means I’m here to defend lives, and I’m here to do this for my whole life.
I’m glad you’re here to march. I’m glad you work with all these schools and organizations. You’re doing great. I want you to do more. I need you to be louder. I want everyone off the bench. We’re going to march around the Capitol, and then you go march back into your lives and say something.
Okay. Now, I’m going to do a chant, but I’m going to count to three so you know when to do it. Okay? On the count of three, as loud as you possibly can, I want you to say, “Not in my state!”
Okay? One, two, three. Not in my state! Not in my state! One more time, as loud as you can. Ready? NOT IN MY STATE!
Go get ’em.
Get Off The Bench
If you live in Missouri, help with Amendment 3.
- Learn about the Amendment here, and prep to talk to your friends
- Medical professionals can coordinate with AAPLOG here
- Residents can request yard signs here
And whether or not you live in Missouri, support SPL’s work training people across the country to dialogue on abortion:
- Donate to SPL’s travel funds – Help us show up in places like Jefferson City and reach new audiences
- Hire us to train your organization or community – We train pro-lifers to be ambassadors to a broader culture. If you really want to go all in, consider our most in-depth training: Bridges Intensive.
- Become a monthly donor – provide the steady support that lets us plan ahead
Thanks for being in our corner,
Monica
If you appreciate our work and would like to help, one of the most effective ways to do so is to become a monthly donor. You can also give a one-time donation here or volunteer with us here.
