Missouri bill proposes registry for pregnant women to ‘reduce preventable abortions'
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KTVI) — Legislation introduced in Missouri would create a list of 'at risk' pregnant women in the state in order to 'reduce the number of preventable abortions.'
House Bill 807, nicknamed the 'Save MO Babies Act,' was proposed by Republican state Rep. Phil Amato.
The bill summary states that, if passed, Missouri would create a registry of every expecting mother in the state 'who is at risk for seeking an abortion' starting July 1, 2026. The list would be created through the Maternal and Child Services division of the Department of Social Services, but the measure did not specify how the 'at risk' would be identified.
This registry would also incorporate hopeful adoptive parents who have completed certain screenings, including background checks, home studies and other investigations, according to the legislation.
Additionally, the bill would mandate the promotion of 'the safe and healthy birth of children in the state through the utilization of existing resources; coordinate community resources and provide assistance or services to expecting mothers identified to be at risk for seeking abortion services; and prevent abortions through the adoption of children by fit and proper adoptive parents.'
A response, evaluation and legal team comprised of 10 members would be appointed between the director of the Department of Social Services, Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe (R) and the state Supreme Court.
According to the Missouri Department of Health & Senior Services, there were just over 3,000 abortions in the state in 2022, a 62 percent decrease from 1999, which saw more than 8,000.
HB807 was referred to the Children and Families Committee on Feb. 13. Its next hearing is on Wednesday.
Lawmakers in the state are also pushing for stricter abortion laws, with a bill introduced last month that would prohibit abortions if a fetal heartbeat is detected except in cases of medical emergencies.
In November, Missouri voters narrowly approved a ballot measure to add the right to an abortion to their state constitution. More than a month later, a judge ruled that Missouri's near-total abortion ban, which went into effect in 2022 after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, was unenforceable under the new constitutional amendment.
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