Reproductive rights - having the ability to decide whether and when to have children - are important to women's socioeconomic well-being and overall health.  Research suggests that being able to make decisions about one's own reproductive life and the timing of one's entry into parenthood is associated with greater relationship stability and satisfaction, more work experience among women, and increased wages and average career earnings.

NCJWSTL has been fighting alongside the Missouri Family Health Council (MFHC) for several years to expand access not only to abortion services, but to contraceptive care as well. During the last legislative session, Senators Elaine Gannon (R) and Jill Schupp (D) co-sponsored a bill requiring private insurance companies to cover 13 months of uninterrupted birth control pill prescriptions. Although this bill did not pass out of committee, we will be working with legislators to file it once again.

We are excited to welcome MFHC's Michelle Trupiano, Executive Director, and Mandy Hagseth, Director of Policy & Advocacy, who will be speaking at our November Lunch & Learn on Thursday, November 18, 2021. They will be discussing what's at stake for reproductive justice in Missouri, focusing on what issues will arise during the 2022 Missouri legislative session, and how we can work together to not only fight efforts to limit access to abortion, but also the good bills that we can support.