Pam Fichter has been the President of Missouri Right to Life for the last eleven years. She oversaw landmark pieces of legislation that became templates for laws around the country. Pam fought hard for these laws. She is the epitome of, “When the going gets tough, the tough get going.” Yet, Pam’s heart is as big as all outdoors.
And her faith is unwavering and inspirational. She has worked very hard. And now Pam is at a point in her life when she wants to spend more time with her husband Tom (one of the coolest guys I’ve ever met) and their children and grandchildren. She has earned a break! Pam has stepped down as the President of Missouri Right to Life effective, January 1, 2015. I’d hate to be the one who has to follow her as President!
Hi, I’m Steve Rupp and I’m the one who has to follow her as President.
Yikes!
She has some big shoes to fill. I’m asking you, my friends, to pray for me. Pray that we can keep the legacy that Pam has left us alive and growing. Pray that God will guide us to see Missouri as the first abortion-free state in the country. That’s the direction Pam has taken us, and we owe it to her to see it through!
I’ve been blessed to be married to my wonderful wife Debbie for 41 years. We have four children and seven grandchildren. We’ve been parishioners at Sacred Heart Parish in Florissant all of those years. What a great parish! I work for the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, an apostolate of the Catholic Church that ministers to the poor. I’m a volunteer teacher in the St. Louis Archdiocesan Right Start Program that teaches eighth graders about fetal development, the realities of abortion, and God’s awesome gift of chastity — a fabulous program! And I play Santa Claus at Mercy Hospital — maybe my favorite job!
Just a few weeks into my new position with MRL, I was in Washington D.C. for the March for Life expecting to see an historic, life-affirming bill passed in the United States Congress. Unfortunately, the vote on that bill was delayed, and, with neither of our Missouri Congresswomen as co-sponsors, many pro-life Missourians are asking why. Yikes again!
Even with difficult situations like this one, I pray that while we fight these battles, God will keep us focused on the joy of what we do. That joy is evident every single day in the pro-life movement. It is evident in the uplifting and holy people with whom we are blessed to work. It is evident when we hear a mother and father say, “We changed our minds and aren’t going to abort our child.” It is evident when, through our efforts, someone says, “I got to be loved twice. Once, when my birth mother decided to give me life.
And second, when my adoptive family brought me into my new home.” What joyful gifts! And we often get to hear the most joyful sound in the world …. the sound of a giggling little baby! That glorious sound brings a smile and maybe a tear of joy into the lives of everyone who hears it. We’re working diligently to help all parents hear that joyful noise!
That is Missouri Right to Life and I am proud to be a part of it!
God bless!
Steve Rupp