‘The Silent Thread’ Event Discusses Changing Attitudes Towards Children

A free Kansas City presentation Thursday evening will trace more than 2,000 years of Christian opposition to abortion and infanticide as Missouri voters prepare to decide another constitutional amendment involving abortion.

The Silent Thread will be held from 7 to 8 p.m. Sept. 24 at Northland Christian School, 10500 N. Trailblazer Drive. Parkville Women’s Clinic, which is sponsoring the event, expects about 60 to 80 people to attend.

The presentation will be led by Samuel “Sam” Elliott, deputy solicitor general in the Florida attorney general’s office. Elliott was involved in the 2024 campaign against Florida Amendment 4, which would have added abortion protections to the state constitution. Although the measure received support from about 57 percent of voters, it fell short of Florida’s required 60 percent threshold.

Elliott will move beyond the recent political fight, however. The Silent Thread follows changing attitudes toward unborn children from ancient Rome and the early Christian church to the American legal battles surrounding Roe v. Wade and the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2022 decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization.

“Parkville Women’s Clinic is hosting The Silent Thread to educate our community through more than 2,000 years of history surrounding the value of unborn life,” said Hailey Campbell, the clinic’s director of communications. “At the heart of this event is a desire to remind people of the inherent value and significance of every human life, including life in the womb.”

Campbell said the clinic wants participants to understand that abortion and the value assigned to unborn children were debated long before they became defining issues in modern American politics.

“Looking at history gives important context to conversations we are still having today,” she said. “Our hope is that understanding the historical context helps people think more deeply about the issues in front of them today.”

That history has immediate political relevance in Missouri.

Voters will decide Amendment 3 in the Nov. 3 general election. The legislatively referred constitutional amendment would repeal the abortion provision approved by Missouri voters in 2024 that enshrined abortion in the state constitution.

This year’s ballot proposal includes exceptions for medical emergencies, fetal anomalies, rape and incest. Abortions involving rape or incest would be permitted only through the first 12 weeks of pregnancy. The amendment also would prohibit gender-transition surgeries, cross-sex hormones and puberty-blocking drugs for children, with limited exceptions for treatments unrelated to gender transition.

A yes vote would adopt those restrictions. A no vote would leave abortion in the Missouri Constitution.

“We hope to provide historical context and information that helps people make an informed decision when they vote,” Campbell said. “Beyond the ballot, we want attendees to leave knowing there are practical ways to get involved with local organizations and clinics that share a commitment to valuing and supporting life.”

The event follows Elliott’s appearance at the clinic’s Building What Lasts donor breakfast in June. Campbell said the response prompted organizers to bring him back for a broader community presentation.

Parkville Women’s Clinic provides free pregnancy testing, limited ultrasounds, sexually transmitted infection testing, pregnancy-options counseling and community referrals and is a leading pro-life voice in Kansas City.

Admission to The Silent Thread is free, but advance registration is requested through the event website.

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–Dwight Widaman