COLUMBIA − House Democrats in the Missouri General Assembly revealed a series of proposals on Monday that aim to restore, protect and expand reproductive rights and health care services in the state.
The legislation comes on the heels of the 51st anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court’s landmark ruling in Roe v. Wade, which was overturned in June 2022 and eliminated abortion rights under the federal constitution within the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization case.
Two of those proposals, House Joint Resolution 105 and House Joint Resolution 106, are sponsored by House Minority Leader Crystal Quade (D-Springfield) and Rep. Peter Merideth (D-St. Louis) respectively, and seek to amend the Missouri Constitution to restore abortion rights in the state.
Abortion has been illegal in Missouri in nearly all circumstances including rape or incest, under a state law enacted in 2019 and signed into law in 2022.
Both HJRs are similar in intent to an initiative petition currently being circulated to put an abortion rights measure on the Nov. 5 statewide ballot.
HB 2038 and 2040, both sponsored by state Rep. Emily Weber (D-Kansas City) would "protect the right to an abortion prior to the point of fetal viability when necessary to protect the life or health of the mother." It would also specify that an ectopic pregnancy should be considered a medical emergency, allowing an abortion to legally be performed.
Other Democratic bills relating to reproductive health include:
- House Bill 1874 sponsored by Rep. Patty Lewis (D-Kansas City) that mandates that insurance companies cover a 12-month supply of hormonal contraceptives at a time
- House Bill 2295 sponsored by Rep. Keri Ingle (D-Lee's Summit) that authorizes pharmacists to dispense birth control bills without requiring periodic prescription renewals;
- House Bill 2121 sponsored by Rep. Ian Mackey (D-St. Louis) that requires hospitals to provide emergency contraception on request in cases of sexual assault.
- House Bill 1683 sponsored by Rep. LaDonna Appelbaum (D-St. Louis) and House Bill 2341 sponsored by Rep. Betsy Fogle (D-Springfield) that requires insurance coverage of fertility treatments, including in vitro fertilization;
- House Bill 1446 sponsored by Rep. Jamie Johnson (D-Kansas City) that authorizes insurance coverage for doula services;
- House Bill 1599 sponsored by Rep. LaKeySha Bosley (D-St. Louis) establishes the Missouri Dignity in Pregnancy and Childbirth Act to require implicit bias training for providers of perinatal care;
- House Bill 2245 sponsored by Rep. Eric Woods (D-Kansas City) prohibiting period tracker applications from sharing a person’s data without their consent.
