Corionsa “Khorry” Ramey is the daughter of Kevin Johnson, Jr., who is scheduled to be executed on Nov. 29, 2022 by the state of Missouri. On Nov. 21, 2022, the ACLU brought a lawsuit on behalf of Khorry, challenging a Missouri law that bars people under the age of 21 from being witnesses at an execution. Kevin included Khorry on his witness list, and she wants to be there. On November 25, a federal court denied Khorry’s request. Here, Khorry explains why she wants to be with her dad in his final moments.

My name is Khorry Ramey, I’m currently 19 years old. I am a new mom to my baby son Kaius, and I work as a nursing assistant in the St. Louis area, where I have lived my whole life. In 2005, when I was 2 years old, my father, Kevin Johnson, Jr., was arrested and charged with capital murder for the shooting death of William McEntee. My father was convicted and sentenced to death. In 2007, when I was 4 years old, my mother, Dana Ramey, was murdered in front of me by her ex-boyfriend.

My dad has been my only parent for almost all my life, and he is the most important person in my life. For as long as I can remember since his incarceration, I went to see him as often as family and friends could take me to the prison, and I speak to him by phone at least once a week. I also correspond with him several times a week through the Missouri prison system’s email and tablets, as I can afford it.

From prison, my dad arranged to have an academic liaison with my school so that the school could update him on my grades and my performance. He monitored my assignments and grades until I graduated from high school in 2020. Throughout my years in school, he encouraged me to study and complete my high school studies, and held me accountable to try my hardest in class. My dad continues to encourage me to pursue my educational and career ambitions as a nurse.

My dad has given me advice and guidance on my personal relationships, family relationships, and life choices. There is not anyone else in my life who understands me the way that he does.

I gave birth to Kaius in September 2022, and my dad is my biggest source of support, advice, and love as I navigate adjusting to being a new mom. On Oct. 18, 2022, I was able to visit my dad with my baby son so that they could meet each other. My dad was able to hold his grandson, and we were able to get photographs taken together. It was a beautiful but bittersweet moment for me, because I realized that it might be the only time that my dad would get to hold his grandson.

Credit: Khorry Ramey

I recently learned that Missouri law won’t let anyone under the age of 21 witness an execution. I am 19 years old, and except for not being allowed to buy alcohol until I am 21, it is my understanding that I am considered an adult for all other purposes in the eyes of the law. My dad has listed me as a witness he wants present at his execution and asked me to be present. As his only child, I want to be a witness to his execution.

I am my dad’s closest living blood relative, and he is mine, other than my baby son. If my dad were dying in the hospital, I would sit by his bed holding his hand and praying for him until his death, both as a source of support for him, and as a support for me as a necessary part of my grieving process and for my peace of mind.

I have suffered so much loss in my life. It is excruciating to know that I am about to lose my dad all over again when the state kills him, yet I cannot be present for his death simply because of my age. The fact that I will not be able to give him comfort and experience any sort of grief and closure for myself, for no other reason than my age, is a new and fresh loss, and a total injustice.

My dad was 19 years old when he tragically killed another person, as I am now. If the State of Missouri thinks that my father’s actions at age 19 make him mature enough to be executed, then it makes no sense that under Missouri law, an adult who is 19 is not mature enough to be present at that person’s execution.

I hope and pray that the Missouri Gov. Michael Parson will grant clemency to my dad. He is a good father, and he has worked very hard to raise me and become a good man in prison.

But if there is no clemency for my dad, and the state of Missouri goes through with my father’s execution, then the state should be ordered to let me be present at his execution now, despite the law. Or the execution should be delayed until I am at least 21, and under Missouri law, finally able to be a witness when the state takes my only living parent away from me.

The harm that I will suffer if Missouri officials bar me from attending my father’s execution for no other reason than my current age is deep and cannot be fixed. Gov. Parson, please do the right thing.

Everything is on the line next week. From Congress to down-ballot races and a record-breaking number of abortion measures on the ballot, we have an unprecedented opportunity to send a clear message to out-of-step politicians that we won’t let them take away our right to abortion. Given the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, a federal right we have relied on for 50 years, we must send a clear message by voting for candidates and on measures that reflect our values.

This is an historic year for abortion measures on the ballot. In August, Kansas voters resoundingly defeated a ballot measure that would have paved the way for extreme politicians to ban abortion in the state. More abortion measures are on the ballot next week in several states, including in Michigan and Kentucky where measures would significantly alter state constitutional protections for abortion.

We need everyone who believes in the right to abortion and reproductive freedom more broadly to make a plan to vote, ensure your friends and family understand what’s at stake in the upcoming election, and even if you have just one hour to spare, lend your time to critical campaigns to encourage people to vote their values in the final days of the election. In particular, you can sign up to volunteer on our friends’ Mobilize pages, Reproductive Freedom for All in Michigan and Protect Kentucky Access, to make a difference in the outcome.

We couldn’t be more enthusiastic about Proposal 3 in Michigan, spearheaded by the Reproductive Freedom for All campaign. This first-of-its-kind, citizen-led ballot measure would cement the right to reproductive freedom in the state constitution. It has seen overwhelming support in Michigan, from the historic number of signatures submitted to qualify for the ballot to the outpouring of volunteers and grassroots contributions. And the stakes couldn’t be higher for Michiganders, with a 1931 abortion ban threatening to eliminate care entirely in the state and put doctors in jail for serving their patients. The Michigan measure, championed by Reproductive Freedom for All, would not only secure the right to abortion in the state and block the arcane 1931 abortion ban, it would also ensure protections for birth control and for safe and respectful care during childbirth and protect people from punishment for having a miscarriage, stillbirth, or abortion.

But the impact won’t stop there. Folks from all over the country are supporting this campaign because if we win, we will have a tested path to securing our fundamental right to reproductive freedom in more states with gerrymandered legislatures. In other words, we believe that when we appeal directly to voters, the majority of whom support the right to abortion and abortion access, we can win and protect access in states where citizens have the ability to pass ballot measures. That’s why at the ACLU, we have donated nearly $5 million to this campaign and involved our whole organization in supporting the Reproductive Freedom for All ballot committee.

Unfortunately, opponents in Michigan have used every trick in the book to confuse voters and spread misinformation about Proposal 3, even using trans youth as pawns in their cruel crusade to ban abortion. This race may come down to just a few votes, a testament to the extraordinary momentum this campaign has built despite anti-abortion deception and a stark reminder that we must all do everything we can to push it across the finish line. Sign up to volunteer with the Reproductive Freedom for All ballot committee on their Mobilize page.

AP Photo/Ted Shaffrey

In Kentucky, voters face an anti-abortion ballot measure that is similar to the one Kansans rejected in August. This measure would make it impossible for state courts to strike down a total abortion ban on the books that has pushed care out of reach in the commonwealth for months, forcing countless Kentuckians to carry pregnancies against their will and suffer the life-altering, and life-threatening for some, consequences of forced pregnancy and childbirth. The impacts have been devastating.

Make no mistake: The politicians who put this measure on the ballot don’t just want to assert that there is no constitutional right to abortion in the state, they want to keep abortion banned entirely. The ACLU has filed a challenge against two abortion bans in the state, and we’ll be arguing before the state supreme court exactly one week after Election Day. This is a one-two punch: we must defeat this anti-abortion amendment so that we can then win in court and restore access to abortion care in the state.

The good news is that we can shut down this amendment just like we did in Kansas, but it will take all of us banding together to get the job done. Sign up to volunteer with Protect Kentucky Access on their Mobilize page.

Every person has a role to play in this election to ensure our laws and the people elected to represent us reflect the overwhelming majority of people who want to protect the right to abortion. Whether you talk to your friends and family about the election using conversation guides like the one we developed in the lead up to the election or are able to volunteer with the campaigns directly, we need your energy and activism in this moment.

It’s time to show up with everything we have and fight for our rights — too much is at stake.

Paid for by American Civil Liberties Union, Inc., 125 Broad Street, New York, New York 10004, in coordination with Reproductive Freedom for All.

Paid for by American Civil Liberties Union, Inc. in coordination with Protect Kentucky Access.