Missouri ‘Born-Alive’ Abortion Bill Advances Despite Opposition Concerns
A longtime anti-abortion advocate who helped draft Missouri’s ‘born-alive’ bill refused to support it due to a ‘poison pill’ provision, even as the House committee advanced the legislation.
JEFFERSON CITY, MISSOURI — A Missouri ‘born-alive’ abortion bill advanced through the House Children and Families Committee on Monday despite opposition from an unexpected source: a longtime anti-abortion advocate who helped draft the legislation.
The House committee passed the legislation on a 12-4 vote, moving it closer to a final vote before the legislative session concludes on Friday evening. The bill aims to add new penalties for health care providers who don’t provide complete care when an abortion attempt results in a live birth.
Anti-Abortion Advocate Raises Concerns
Sam Lee, a longtime anti-abortion advocate and lobbyist with Campaign Life Missouri who spent years helping draft a Missouri version of the “Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act,” declined to support the bill in its current form during Monday’s committee hearing.
Lee’s opposition centered not on the underlying “born-alive” language, but on provisions the Missouri Senate added to win passage last week. He specifically criticized what he called a “poison pill” that could put the entire bill at risk if any part of it is struck down in court.
“The bill’s inclusion of a nonseverability clause was practically unprecedented,” Lee told lawmakers. Under that language, if a court finds any portion of the legislation unconstitutional, the whole law would be thrown out.
Senate Negotiations Shape Final Version
The legislation took an uneasy path through the final days of the session. Senate Democrats used the threat of a filibuster last week to negotiate major changes to the Republican priority.
Democrats successfully stripped out language that could have opened the door to lawsuits against anyone involved in an unlawful abortion, including the use of mifepristone. The Senate added Democratic-backed provisions addressing maternal mortality review, cyberstalking and cyberharassment.
State Sen. Brad Hudson testified before the House committee Monday in support of his legislation, according to the Missouri Independent.
Bill Heads to Full House Vote
Despite the concerns raised by Lee and other modifications made during Senate negotiations, the bill is expected to be taken up by the full House for a vote. If it passes, the legislation would be sent to the governor before the legislative session ends Friday evening.
The “Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act” would require medical professionals to provide the same degree of care to infants born alive during abortion procedures as they would to any other infant born at the same gestational age.
The bill’s advancement comes as Missouri continues to navigate abortion policy following federal and state legal changes in recent years. The legislation represents one of the final major pieces of abortion-related policy lawmakers will consider before the session concludes.
