Questions concerning the Legislature's role in regulating abortion brought up two recurring themes among pro-life and pro-choice advocates: the cost associated with the special session and the legislative authority to regulate women's health issues.
While the House held a committee meeting Wednesday on abortion legislation under House Bills 3 and 6, Planned Parenthood supporters and representatives of Service Employees International Union (SEIU), NARAL and of ACLU joined under the Rotunda to emphasize the Legislature shouldn't have the authority to regulate health issues related to women.
"I'm old enough to remember when abortion was illegal, and I know a lot of women who suffered terrible consequences because of it. It is a private health care decision, and it seems that the Legislature is absolutely deaf to those issues," said Kathleen Cane, a Planned Parenthood supporter from Columbia.
"It is insulting to the people of Missouri that Gov. (Eric) Greitens would choose to commit resources to attacking people who experience pregnancy, when there are so many actions he could take to improve the lives of all Missourians," NARAL member Rachel Goldberg said.
During the rally, Goldberg shared her story about how she would have had to carry her child full term, knowing that the baby would not survive full term, if she wouldn't have gone to Colorado to have her labor induced. Goldberg said her son had a disease similar to dwarfism, where he would be missing many of his vital organs. She was then told that she did not qualify for an abortion and would have to carry full term. At 26 weeks gestational period, Goldberg drove to Colorado and delivered her son in a facility there, where he was pronounced dead on arrival.
During the first half of the House Children and Families committee hearing, several committee members debated the importance and subject matter of the bills with sponsors state Rep. Kathyrn Swan, R-Cape Girardeau, and state Rep. Jay Barnes, R-Jefferson City.
The joint legislation filed by Swan and Barnes would potentially amend Missouri statutes to allow the Department of Health and Senior Services to adopt rules governing complication plans for patients who receive medicinal abortions - where they are provided a pill to end the life of an unborn baby.
The legislation also would amend the definition of a qualified professional and the definition of abortion facility that does not provide accommodations for patients to stay more than 23 hours within the establishment, would require an abortion facility to provide evidence that each person authorized to perform abortions is a physician currently licensed to practice in Missouri, and would require annual on-site inspections at abortion facilities to ensure compliance with state law and adequate safety protocols and provides the ability to prosecute someone for medical interference.
An emergency clause attached adds a one-time expenditure of $71,280 for computer technology and programming modifications that would allow facilities like ambulatory surgical centers to comply with the Missouri Healthcare Infections reporting systems.
Under Barnes' bill, the attorney general would have concurrent jurisdiction to prosecute a person who violates state law pertaining to abortion services. Currently, the attorney general would have to be invited on the case.
Debate among committee members began when state Rep. Mike Moon, R-Ash Grove, asked the bills' sponsors why they were promoting legislation that enables abortion when the Republican Party's platform calls for ending abortion.
Barnes' response was simple.
"No one is promoting abortion with this bill," he said. "As legislators, we have to take the world as it exists sometimes and do the best we can to ensure the safety of the people of the state of Missouri," he said.
Later state Rep. Stacey Newman, D-St.Louis, asked the sponsors whether they believed the special session was a productive use of state revenue, knowing the state has inadequate funding in other budgetary areas and whether they were confident there would be no litigation if the bills were to become law.
"Yes, this is worth the cost," Barnes responded. "And I would almost guarantee that there will be litigation brought against us. But the right question to ask is whether the state will prevail on the statute that passes."
He went on to say a potential challenge in the courts is not a reason not to pass the best law possible to help regulate ambulatory surgical centers in the state.
Later on, Greitens and pro-life supporters gathered under the Rotunda to urge the General Assembly to pass legislation during the second special session that protects the health of women across the state.
"I am proud to be with so many people standing for life here in Missouri," Greitens said. "We have to preserve and protect our pregnancy help centers in the state of Missouri."
Throughout the pro-life celebration hosted by Greitens and A New Missouri, representatives from the pregnancy help center in Jefferson City and the Our Lady's Inn - a maternity home in St. Louis - shared the kinds of support services offered to their clients that give women options to be a good mother to their child.
In an interview with the News Tribune, Samantha Banks, a recent Jefferson City High School graduate, said she supports the governor's effort to promote pro-life bills in the Legislature.
"Most women feel like they don't have a choice, and they should know abortion isn't the only way," Banks said. "I wouldn't want the choice of having an abortion. I honestly would find it offensive for someone to not want me to pursue the dream of being a mother."