Riley Gains Leads Missouri Event for Amendment 3 to Protect Babies From Abortion

More than 1,000 pro-life Missourians filled the St. Charles Convention Center on May 20 for what became one of the largest and most electrifying pro-life gatherings in Missouri history — the Missouri Right to Life “Make Missouri Pro-Life Again” Banquet. The powerful evening united grassroots leaders, legislators, pastors, families, and donors around a singular mission: reclaiming Missouri as a state that protects life. The event featured powerful speeches, a major fundraising appeal of $1.5 million, and a keynote address from women’s sports advocate and pro-lifer Riley Gaines.

Hosted by Missouri Right to Life — the state’s oldest and largest pro-life organization and the sole Missouri affiliate of National Right to Life Committee — the event served as a rallying cry for the upcoming “Yes on 3” campaign to restore protections for unborn children and defend parental rights.

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Missouri Right to Life President Steve Rupp opened the evening by declaring that Missouri is entering a “critical battle for the soul of our state” and outlined the organization’s strategy to “make Missouri Pro-Life Again.”

Throughout the evening, Rupp delivered a dramatic and urgent message, reminding attendees that Missouri came within just 1.6% of defeating the radical Amendment 3 initiative in 2024 despite being outspent $32 million to $5 million.

“This is not a redo. This is a reckoning,” Rupp declared as he unveiled the organization’s strategy to make Missouri the first post-Roe state in America to overturn a radical pro-abortion constitutional amendment.

A highlight of the evening came with the presentation of the “Champion for Life Award” to Carl Landwehr, founder of Vitae Foundation and one of the original architects of Missouri’s pro-life movement. Landwehr was honored for decades of groundbreaking work that reshaped pro-life messaging and impacted millions of lives worldwide.

Rupp reminded attendees that the battle transcends politics. “It is about the child in the womb who has no voice, the mother who’s told abortion is her only option, the parents who deserve to be involved in their children’s medical treatments, and the culture that must decide whether life still matters.”

Campaign strategist Jessica Flanagain energized the crowd with a roadmap for victory, while Riley Gaines brought the audience to its feet with a passionate defense of women, children, and truth.

Gaines praised Missouri Right to Life for its professionalism and momentum, stating, “If Missouri runs its statewide campaign the way Missouri Right to Life ran this event, they will win.”  She went on to say, “The only thing I believe is more sinister than cutting off healthy body parts, is prematurely ending a life before those body parts ever even get a chance to develop.”

Pam Fichter, Missouri Right to Life’s Eastern Region Chairman and former state president, led the evening’s financial appeal with a bold goal of raising $1.5 million to fuel the statewide “Yes on 3” campaign. As she outlined the urgency of the battle and the critical need ahead, she challenged the crowd with a powerful call to action: “Every gift tonight acts as a shield. Every sacrifice becomes a sword. Together, they create the armor of God.”

As the evening reached its dramatic climax, Rupp delivered a powerful closing address. He declared that Missouri’s 2024 battle “was not defeat — it was defiance,” Rupp called on supporters to rise “with courage, unity, and unshakable resolve” to make Missouri the first post-Roe state to overturn a radical abortion amendment.

The room erupted as he concluded: “We are the line. We are the last defense. And we will not back down.”