State Senator Jill Schupp (D-Creve Coeur) plans to sponsor legislation next session that would undo some of Missouri’s abortion regulations. A U.S. Supreme Court ruling in June has prompted Schupp to spearhead the measures. The nation’s highest court struck down Texas’ abortion clinic laws that require doctors who perform abortions to have admitting privileges at nearby hospitals and for clinics to meet standards of an outpatient surgical center.
Senator Jill Schupp (D) (photo courtesy; Missouri Senate)
“Now that we’ve had that precedent spelled out for us, we have some provisions in Missouri law that I know are absolutely obstacles put in place in order to prevent or make if very, very difficult for a woman to access her reproductive rights,” says Schupp.
Her legislation would eliminate making women wait 72-hours before having an abortion, a requirement for doctors who perform abortions to have admitting privileges at nearby hospitals and standards abortion clinics must follow to operate as an outpatient surgical center.
“Putting an obstacle in the path of a woman seeking an abortion, is an undue burden and it violates the constitution,” says Schupp.
Opponents of the U.S. Supreme Court decision say the court ruled based on politics. Attorneys will try and determine if there are any legal avenues to allow Missouri’s abortion clinic laws to stand.
The 2016 legislative session included 23 anti-abortion related bills.