Missouri state senators prepare for Supreme Court decision in Mississippi abortion case
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)
Missouri senators are trying to ensure an anti-abortion trigger law goes into effect should the United States Supreme Court overturn Roe v. Wade.
A Missouri Senate committee passed a resolution Tuesday morning to put into effect a section banning abortion in the case of the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade. The resolution sets Section 188.017 into motion, which requires either an opinion from the attorney general, a proclamation from the governor or a resolution from the Missouri general assembly.
The resolution, introduced by State Sen. Justin Brown (R-Rolla), passed out of committee with a 4-2 vote and is now open to debate on the Senate floor. There are only four days left to pass any bills or resolutions.
The section is what's called a "trigger law." The law will automatically ban abortion in Missouri if Roe v. Wade if overturned, but requires someone to pull the trigger. State senators are taking steps to ensure the general assembly pulls the trigger.
If enacted, the law would ban all abortions except in the case of a medical emergency. Doctors found guilty of performing an abortion would face a Class B felony and potentially lose their medical license.
Samuel Lee, director of Campaign Life, provided the sole testimony at Tuesday morning's hearing. The resolution was added to the Senate hearing calendar the night before.
"I ask you to be vigilant and to keep Missouri a pro-life state, the strong pro-life state that it has been for these more than 50 years," Lee said.
Maggie Olivia, policy manager with Pro-Choice Missouri, said she and other pro-abortion advocates have been preparing for Roe to be overturned.
"Abortion bans have never been about health and safety, or health and well-being. Abortion bans have always been about power and control," Olivia said.
Regardless of the court's ruling, Pro-Choice Missouri will continue its advocacy and education on abortion access.
"Being denied abortions has very very serious consequences, and that's the kind of future that these extremists in the Missouri legislature and beyond are really setting up for the people and families that live in Missouri," Olivia said.
