Missouri Senate Approves Abortion Business Regulations 
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by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
April 23, 2005
Jefferson City, MO (LifeNews.com) — The Missouri state Senate has approved legislation that would put several new regulations an abortion businesses in the state in an attempt to get them to be more concerned about women’s health and safety.
Under the legislation, approved on a 26-6 vote, abortions could not longer be performed in clinics that receive taxpayer funds, abortion practitioners would need privileges at a local hospital to transfer women when an abortion is botched.
The measure also allows parents to file a civil lawsuit any time someone helps a Missouri teenager travel to Illinois for an abortion that violates Missouri’s parental involvement law.
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.
"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 Senate approved bill is similar to legislation that the state House signed off on in March on a 121-31 vote.
The House version 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.
The Senate measure also allows pregnancy centers that don’t do abortions to be eligible for as much as $2 million in tax credits and would also set up a fund to promote abortion alternatives.
Governor Matt Blunt is expected to sign it into law once the legislature works out a final version of the bill.
Related web sites:
Missouri Right to Life – https://www.missourilife.org
