Abortion task force upsets advocates

Gov. Matt Blunt's abortion task force is surrounded by controversy.

By Carolina Astrain

Published Dec. 4, 2007

The National Abortion and Reproductive Rights Action League, an abortion-rights advocacy organization, held a news conference Monday in the Senate Lounge of the state capitol to discuss the secrecy surrounding Gov. Matt Blunt's Task Force on the Effects of Abortion on Women.

"We actually had to file a request under the Sunshine Law to get their minutes," said Pamela Sumners, the executive director of NARAL's Missouri chapter.

Members of NARAL said they feel insulted that the task force only includes members with strong backgrounds opposing abortion rights.

"This task force is ridiculous, and I'm fairly outraged about it," abortion-rights advocate Vanessa Carroll said. "He's playing politics with women's health and it's not right. It's a precursor for this ballot initiative that's just awful and terrible on so many levels."

Soon after NARAL's news conference, the task force occupied the lounge to share research and advances made in gaining information about the negative effects of abortion. More than 20 of the abortion-rights advocates stayed to witness the meeting.

Blacks for Life President Connie Eller provided the task force members with pamphlets, DVDs and packets full of abortion-rights opponent testimonies of women experiencing traumatic effects of abortion.

She also presented cases she learned about while attending a conference on abortion rights in the black community. She shared passages from several pamphlets she received at that conference.

"I'm not here saying that I'm representing the African-American community as a whole; I'm just here representing the pro-life part of it," Eller said. "For those who have come to the light, woke up, and those who have — a very popular phrase right now, 'Come off from the plantation,' — that's who I am with, with those who have come off the plantation."

Five of the 14 task force members were present. Susan Klein of Missouri Right to Life attended by proxy through Pattie Skain and Missouri Nurses for Life President Nancy Valko attended via telephone. Valko discussed her experience and research on women considering abortion.

"The one thing that I found working with these women that was enormously impressive to these women, was that there's a waiting list for prospective adopting parents," Valko said.

Task force moderator Kerry Messer said that coercion leading to abortion should be eliminated.

"Nobody should be forced to go through an abortion who doesn't want to go through an abortion," Messer said. "Whatever the motivation of the coercion is it ought to be flat-out illegal, and there ought to be penalties if someone is engaging in that type of behavior — we're supposed to be a civil society."

Messer allowed brief commentary from the crowd of abortion-rights advocates, a few of which Messer and Pregnancy Center of Rolla Director Joe Dalton responded to. But they insisted the event was not an appropriate instance for open dialogue between the two groups.

Michelle Trupiano, Planned Parenthood of Kansas and Mid-Missouri spokeswoman, said the creation of the task force is wrong and that meetings should be discontinued.

Dalton said the exclusion of abortion-rights advocates is justified.

"It's not one-sided at all," Dalton said. The people that call themselves pro-choice say they've beaten the drum for many years that post-abortive syndrome does not exist. However, psychologists all over the country say otherwise, so why would we ask them to play a part in a task force? It would be like a committee of people getting ready for Santa Claus coming, with people who don't believe in Santa Claus. It doesn't make sense."