The state House has given initial approval to what’s being called a “personhood” amendment to the Missouri Constitution.
Representative Mike Moon (photo courtesy; Tim Bommel, Missouri House Communications)
The proposed amendment to Missouri’s Constitution would add “unborn human children at every stage of biological development” to the protection of people’s “right to life.”
It’s proposed by Representative Mike Moon (R-Ash Grove).
“To allow Missouri to adopt in our Constitution that an unborn child is a human. It’s a developing human child – a boy or a girl, and they have constitutional rights,” said Moon.
Democrats including Lauren Arthur (D-Kansas City) said that could not only interfere with women seeking abortions, but would ban some forms of birth control.
“Want to prevent abortion? Banning birth control won’t curtail unwanted pregnancies. It will do the exact opposite,” said Arthur.
Republican Jay Barnes (R-Jefferson City) said Democrats were raising false arguments because the amendment could not ban anything permitted by the U.S. Constitution or Supreme Court, and that includes abortion and birth control.
“What that does is puts Missouri in a position that it’s the most pro-life state in the country as allowed by the federal Constitution through the holdings of the United States Supreme Court,” said Barnes.
Another vote would send the resolution to the Senate. If it passes out of the legislature it would go to Missouri voters.
