Date:
Wednesday, September 10, 2014
by Joe Ortwerth | LifeNews.com | 9/9/14 10:56 AM
The right to life of many future preborn children in Missouri will be determined this week when the Missouri
Legislature meets in the State Capitol for its annual veto session. Legislative leaders will be seeking to
override Governor Jay Nixon’s veto of legislation to extend the waiting period for an abortion from 24 to 72
hours.
This is one of the most significant life-saving measures the Missouri General Assembly has adopted in quite
some time, and it is critical that this bill be enacted over the Governor’s objections.
Should this bill (House Bill 1307) become law,
many women will be saved from making hasty
uninformed decisions to abort their children,
decisions they will so often tearfully regret for the
rest of their lives. Many women will be given
additional time to stand up to the pressure of
others urging them to destroy the life of their
unborn child. Many preborn children will see the
light of day because their mothers had sufficient
time to reflect on the consequences of abortion to
them and the child in their womb.
Under current Missouri law, abortion clinics are
prohibited from performing abortions on women until 24 hours after they have first visited the abortion facility.
At that time, women meet with a “counselor” who must provide them with information supplied by the state
detailing the abortion procedure and alternatives they may wish to consider. Women are given a packet
developed by the Department of Health and Senior Services which they are able to take home and review as
they evaluate their options.
That packet includes information about the humanity of the unborn child, including illustrations of the
development of the child at various stages of gestation. The women must be offered the opportunity to view
an ultrasound of the child, and to hear the heartbeat of the child if it is audible. The packet explains the
nature of various abortion procedures, and the risks to the woman’s physical and mental health.
The woman is given information regarding alternatives to abortion including adoption, and is supplied with the
names and addresses of pregnancy resource centers which will support her decision to carry her child to
term. She is provided information about government programs which will assist her with prenatal and
newborn care.
The purpose of House Bill 1307 is to ensure that the woman has adequate time to consider and reflect on the
substantial amount of information she has been provided. The additional 48 hours also helps guarantee that
the decision the woman is making is truly her own, and not the result of coercion from other parties who
would benefit from the “termination” of her pregnancy. Women are often under intense pressure from
boyfriends, parents, and even grandparents to “solve the problem” through a quick abortion. Sexual
predators and perpetrators of statutory rape are anxious to remove the evidence of their crime.
The proposal to extend the abortion waiting period was initiated by Senator David Sater of Cassville. The bill
ultimately adopted by the General Assembly was sponsored by Representatives Kevin Elmer of Nixa and
Keith Frederick of Rolla. The legislation received enthusiastic support in both chambers of the Legislature,
with the House approving it by a vote of 111-39, and the Senate by a vote of 22-9.
It would appear that there is sufficient support to override Governor Nixon’s veto. However, this can by no
means be presumed. If even one supportive senator is absent because of illness or a family emergency, the
veto override would fail. We ask that you be praying that all pro-life legislators are present and accounted for
at the time of the vote on the override.
The motion to override the Governor’s veto may happen as early as tomorrow–Wednesday, September
10th. It is urgent that you take the time immediately to call your state senator and state representative to
urge their vote for House Bill 1307, the 72-hour waiting period bill. Please do not set this aside to another
time.
Please call or e-mail your legislators right now.
You will find the contact information for your state senator at this link:
Your State Senator
You will find the contact info for your state representative at this link:
Your State Representative
This is a momentous hour for the pro-life cause not only in Missouri, but in our nation as well. Should this bill
be enacted, Missouri would be the third state in the nation with a 72-hour waiting period for abortion. It is
highly likely that the law will withstand any legal challenges. It is also likely that other states would follow
Missouri’s lead, and enact similar lifesaving measures.
This pro-life bill is a major threat to the abortion industry. So much so that pro-abortion forces have mobilized
a concentrated lobbying effort to sustain the Governor’s vetoes. Pro-abortion leaders are sending buses of
abortion advocates to the State Capitol. The effort is sponsored by Planned Parenthood, the ACLU, the
National Organization for Women, and PROMO, the state’s leading homosexual rights organization.
Please be praying for a favorable outcome to the vote on House Bill 1307. And please make a call to the
offices of your state legislator right now!