Missouri state representative discusses impending abortion bill
Potential new law would permit lawsuits of woman getting abortions out of state
(Missouri State Rep. Keri Ingle)
The Missouri legislature currently is considering a bill that would curtail abortion rights in a number of ways. Pro-choice lawmakers have criticized it publicly and behind closed doors.
“It’s kind of Frankenstein’s monster,” said Missouri State Rep. Keri Ingle.
The state house of Missouri voted out a bill this month that would limit abortions in many cases, including those involving ectopic pregnancies. It would be a Class B felony if someone treated it illegally outside of a clinic. But that’s not all it does. It has sections about punishing people if a baby is born alive during an abortion attempt. It limits the number of fetal remains that someone or some business can have access to in their facility. And finally, it allows anyone in the woman’s family to sue them if they had an abortion.
The last part has proven to be the most controversial because grandmothers, kids or spouses to sue the woman for the loss of a relationship. That even applies to situations where a woman goes out of state for care.
“They're all really, really concerning,” Ingle said. “I also thought it was really strange that they put in that your rapist can't sue you for having an abortion although you can't have an abortion as a result of rape or incest past 10 weeks right now, according to our current state law.”
It’s now headed over to the Missouri state senate, which is dominated by eight people called the Conservative Caucus, which includes Sens. Eric Burlison, Rick Brattin, Bill Eigel, Denny Hoskins, Andrew Koenig, Mike Moon, Cindy O’Laughlin and Bob Onder. If passed there, it would go to Republican Gov. Mike Parson–who is likely to sign the bill.
The biggest movers behind the anti-abortion side are Sam Lee, of Campaign Life Missouri, and the Concerned Women for America’s Missouri chapter.
Ingle warned about what might happen next if Roe is overturned in June.
“If and when roe is overturned in June, I think it's going to completely change all of the political dialogue, especially because abortion has all been illegal in the state anyhow,” Ingle said. “And so how could they go further? Well, they could go further by going against contraception. They could go further by making it a crime that the woman commits when she has a self-induced abortion or seeks abortion services.”