By Dave Andrusko
By an overwhelming vote of 91-37, the Missouri House last week approved House Bill 2012, which defunds Planned Parenthood. The measure now heads to the state Senate for consideration.
HB 2012 has multiple pro-life provisions. “Along with defunding abortion groups of tax dollars, the legislation also would ban mail-order abortion drugs, ban the donation of aborted babies’ bodies and require medical care for babies who are born alive in botched abortions,” according to Micaiah Bilger.
“I think the facts stand strong and well with our record here, we protect the unborn life,” said the bill’s sponsor, Rep. Hannah Kelly, before it went to a vote. After passage, she tweeted, “Today was a good day in the Missouri House. We passed out HB 2012 that sends a resounding message: Missouri continues to stand and protect unborn lives in our State. Now the bill goes to the Senate. My deepest thanks to my Colleagues for their leadership in helping this package.”
The legislative package began as a bill to ban the donation of fetal tissue from abortions for any reason, including for research, Sarah Kellogg of St. Louis Public Radio reported. It would also allow for “wrongful death lawsuits in cases where attempted abortions result in a live birth that is injured or later dies.” Families of babies who are denied this care may sue the abortionist for wrongful death.
“What this language says is that any child that’s born or alive during or after an attempted abortion, that that child should have all the same rights and privileges as any other child that is born at that same stage of development and that they should be provided care for medical staff,” said Rep. Sara Walsh.
In addition, “Under the bill, importing, distributing or administering abortion-inducing drugs is a class B felony, punishable by five to 15 years in prison,”reported Galen Bacharier for the Springfield News-Leader. It does not apply to the mother.
And any person or entity who knowingly distributes, prescribes or even administers an abortion-inducing drug “on another person in violation of state or federal law” would be guilty of a Class B felony.
“The primary purpose of this amendment is to protect the woman and to protect the baby,” Rep. Brian Seitz said.