There are neighborhoods in Missouri with an infant mortality rate that is worse than some developing countries, including Uzbekistan and Vietnam.

Black women in Missouri are four times more likely to die from pregnancy-related complications, regardless of wealth and education.

For the last two weeks, Reproaction’s maternal and infant mortality campaign has been heightened amidst a special legislative session on abortion in Missouri. Special legislative sessions are costly to convene. Usually, they are reserved for urgent matters that were not addressed during regular session, but Missouri’s governor continues to pander to anti-abortion extremists instead of providing leadership on actual urgent issues like maternal and infant mortality.

On Juneteenth, the oldest known celebration commemorating the ending of slavery in the United States, 20 community activists and representatives from four other organizations joined Reproaction in a visibility action at an anti-abortion crisis pregnancy center in Columbia, MO. The action called out the hypocrisy of the anti-abortion movement’s claim to be pro-life, and we highlighted how Black women are especially affected. There are 69 fake clinics in Missouri that are funded through state tax credits and federal TANF funds allocated to states with the intention of feeding hungry children. While people experiencing pregnancy-related issues are dying at an alarming rate, and infant mortality rates in this state rank us alongside some third world countries, Governor Greitens continues to prioritize the anti-abortion movement’s agenda by supporting these fake clinics that lack the capacity to address maternal and infant mortality.

We know Missourians deserve better than this, so we took it to the streets!

View our action on Storify.