Missouri: Bill would tell prosecutors of teen abortions

State News

Discussion

March 30, 2010

Anonymous The Joplin Globe Tue Mar 30, 2010, 10:44 PM CDT

The Associated Press

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Abortion clinics would be required to tell prosecutors about teenagers seeking abortions under legislation passed Tuesday by the Missouri House that supporters hope could provide leads on potential rapists.

The legislation also would create a new crime of coercing a woman to have an abortion and expand the information that a physician must provide to a woman at least 24 hours before performing an abortion.

The bill passed the House 113-27, prompting extended applause — and a few tears of joy — from hundreds of abortion rights opponents who were rallying at the Capitol. It now moves to the Senate, where debate has stalled on separate abortion legislation this year.

Missouri’s proposed mandate to inform prosecutors about minors seeking abortions could be a first nationally if it became law, according to the Guttmacher Institute, which tracks reproductive-rights issues.

Missouri law already requires the consent of the minor and a parent, guardian or judge before a physician performs an abortion on someone younger than 18. It also requires abortion providers to report evidence of rape or abuse to the state.

The legislation would go further by requiring a physician or abortion clinic to notify prosecutors when someone younger than 18 inquires about getting an abortion — even if she does not go through with it. Notification would have to occur at least a day before an abortion. The only exception to prosecutorial notification would be for court-approved cases.

Sponsoring Rep. Bryan Pratt, a Republican attorney from Blue Springs, said his intent is to provide tips to prosecutors of potential cases of forcible rape, incest or statutory rape. Sometimes, the perpetrator may accompany the teen to an abortion clinic, intimidating her from telling doctors or nurses the truth about how she became pregnant, he said.

“We’re going to shine the light on those who would rape children,” said Pratt, the House speaker pro tem.

Rep. Mary Still, D-Columbia, called the legislation “a mean-spirited effort to intimidate and bully.”

“We might as well say, ‘Let’s hang these women up by their heels for an hour before this procedure begins,”’ Still said.

Missouri Right to Life lobbyist Susan Klein said the provision was prompted by charges filed last year against several members of a western Missouri family accused of raping and molesting young relatives over a decade, beginning in the mid-1980s. Among the accusations is that an 11-year-old became pregnant and was forced to have an abortion.

Had a requirement to notify prosecutors been in place, authorities could have been tipped off to the case earlier and charges could have been brought before others allegedly were abused, Klein said.

The new proposal could backfire by making minors reluctant to talk to physicians about abortions because of a fear of involving law enforcement officers, said Elizabeth Nash, a Washington-based policy analyst for the Guttmacher Institute.

The legislation also would require abortion providers to keep tissue samples of fetuses from clients younger than 18 for potential DNA identification.

Two states have similar laws. Kansas requires tissue samples of aborted fetuses from minors younger than 14 to be supplied to state investigators. Tennessee requires fetus tissues to be collected from minors younger than 13 and turned over to law enforcement.

The Missouri bill also would create a specific crime of coercing a woman to obtain an abortion through such acts as assault, stalking, threatening her employment or withholding an academic scholarship.

The legislation would expand an existing law that women be informed 24 hours before an abortion of the physical and psychological health risks from the procedure. It would mandate they be told about the characteristics of their fetuses and offered a chance to view an ultrasound and listen to a heart beat.

The bill also would require that women be provided the following statement: “The life of each human being begins at conception. Abortion will terminate the life of a separate, unique, living human being.”

Text Only

State News

2.6 magnitude earthquake recorded in Oklahoma
The U.S. Geological Survey has recorded a 2.6 magnitude earthquake near Wellston in central Oklahoma.
No injuries or damage is reported.

January 19, 2011
Audit: $108,000 taken from Missouri Veterans Commission JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — A former employee of the state auditor’s office embezzled nearly $108,000 while working as an accountant for the Missouri Veterans Commission, the state auditor alleged Monday.

Stacy Griffin-Lowery was fired by the Veterans Commission in March 2008 and pleaded guilty three months later to a misdemeanor theft charge. She repaid the state $17,665, the auditor’s office said.

But Missouri Auditor Susan Montee on Monday accused Griffin-Lowery of swiping an additional $90,192 by getting reimbursed for cash advances and purchases made on her personal credit card.
April 12, 2010
Race in Kansas’ 2nd District could heat up for GOP incumbent TOPEKA, Kan. — A conservative Kansas legislator said Monday he will announce in a few weeks whether he will challenge freshman U.S. Rep. Lynn Jenkins in the Republican primary.

State Sen. Dennis Pyle’s actions in recent months suggest the Hiawatha farmer, who’s served in the Legislature since 2001, is running against Jenkins in the Aug. 2 primary. He set up a campaign organization in November and has a Web site featuring a brief video of him on his farm, asking viewers for support.
April 12, 2010
Oklahoma tea party leaders, lawmakers envision militia OKLAHOMA CITY — Frustrated by recent political setbacks, tea party leaders and some conservative members of the Oklahoma Legislature say they would like to create a new volunteer militia to help defend against what they believe are improper federal infringements on state sovereignty.

Tea party movement leaders say they’ve discussed the idea with several supportive lawmakers and hope to get legislation next year to recognize a new volunteer force
April 12, 2010
Missouri: Senate panel cuts $500 million from proposed budget JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — A Senate committee declared Thursday that it has sliced more than $500 million from Missouri’s proposed budget for next year — meeting a target set by Gov. Jay Nixon to bring it in balance.
April 8, 2010
Kansas: Wichita-area casino in doubt after governor’s decision TOPEKA, Kan. — A proposed casino south of Wichita was in doubt Thursday after Gov. Mark Parkinson refused to grant its developers a regulatory reprieve. Partners in the $225 million Chisholm Creek project wanted to delay a state board’s decision on their plans.
April 8, 2010
Oklahoma: Groups oppose education spending initiative OKLAHOMA CITY — A coalition of business and labor groups said Thursday it will work to defeat a ballot initiative to dramatically increase spending on public education that coalition members said would devastate the budgets of many other state services and possibly force tax increases.
April 8, 2010
Missouri: Gov. Nixon affirms support for tuition freeze COLUMBIA, Mo. — Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon has no plans to sit idly while lawmakers consider whether to preserve a tuition freeze deal he assembled before the state’s dire financial status was fully known.
April 7, 2010
Kansas: Agency uses YouTube to illustrate road woes TOPEKA, Kan. — It’s one thing to hear about potholes and state budgets. It’s another to see how the two are connected. That’s part of the thinking behind a new video presentation on YouTube this week from the Kansas Department of Transportation.
April 7, 2010
Oklahoma: Pathologist says girl’s throat might have been cut OKLAHOMA CITY — A 7-year-old girl who was found dead in Oklahoma near the body of her suspected kidnapper likely died after her throat was cut, an independent pathologist said Wednesday, the same day the child’s funeral attracted hundreds of mourners.
April 7, 2010
More State News Headlines

Some of first to rebuild describe life in tornado zone

State News

Search Results

Discussion

Missouri: Bill would tell prosecutors of teen abortions

Eliminating the state income tax and increasing sales tax was debated during a press day on Thursday at the Missouri Capitol. Do you favor that proposal?

Eliminating the state income tax and increasing sales tax was debated during a press day on Thursday at the Missouri Capitol. Do you favor that proposal?

Site Map

Contact Us