Missouri Bill Regulating Abortion Businesses Gets State House Okay
Email this article
Printer friendly page
by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
March 11, 2005
Jefferson CIty, MO (LifeNews.com) — Legislation that would place additional safety regulations on abortion facilities cleared the Missouri state House on a 121-31 vote on Thursday. The bill also allow parents to file a civil lawsuit against anyone who takes a teenager girl to another state to have a secret abortion that is done without her parents’ knowledge.
The measure would require abortion practitioners to have privileges at a hospital within 30 miles from where they perform abortions. Lawmakers say that will ensure women can receive quick medical care following a botched abortion.
The bill, HB100, also calls for any facility that performs abortions to be classified as an "ambulatory surgical center," which would allow the Department of Health and Senior Services to inspect abortion businesses annually.
Rep. Jane Cunningham, the lead sponsor of the measure, says it is intended to cut down on the number of Missouri teens who are taken to Illinois for abortions. That state does not require parents to be told beforehand.
"When a minor child has to face this kind of decision, the person they need most is the person who cares most about their welfare, and that’s their parents," Cunningham said.
The measure is expected to be supported when it head to the state Senate and Governor Matt Blunt is expected to sign it into law.
Patty Skain, executive director of Missouri Right to Life, says her groups supports the legislation, but it and other pro-life advocates are focused this session mostly on passing a comprehensive ban on all forms of human cloning.
A bill that would make it illegal to use human cloning for either reproduction or research in Missouri passed out of a Senate committee last month.
Related web sites:
Missouri Right to Life – https://www.missourilife.org
