Missouri legislators have passed legislation requiring medical professionals to provide life-saving care to infants born alive after attempted abortions and sent the measure to Republican Gov. Mike Kehoe’s desk for his signature.
The Missouri House approved SB 999, which includes the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act, by a 102-46 vote, according to NPR-affiliate KCUR. The Senate passed the bill May 6 in an 18-14 vote.
The bill requires any child born alive during or after an attempted abortion to receive immediate medical care to preserve the child’s life, health, and comfort. The measure also says anyone who knowingly performs or attempts to perform an act that kills a child born alive can be charged with first-degree murder.
Supporters described the bill as a necessary protection for the most vulnerable.
“It breaks my heart that we even have to have a bill like this, that we have to clarify and put into statute consequences,” Rep. Holly Jones, R-Eureka, said, according to KCUR.
Rep. Melissa Schmidt, R-Eldridge, rejected Democratic arguments that the bill’s passage was politically motivated.
“The concept that we should not be establishing regulations in regard to healthcare is ridiculous. In my mind, in this body, we establish regulations on all sorts of topics. It is absolutely our role,” Schmidt said, according to KCUR.
The vote comes amid an ongoing fight over abortion laws in Missouri after voters narrowly approved a 2024 constitutional amendment establishing a “fundamental right to reproductive freedom.” That amendment overturned the state’s strong post-Dobbs protections, allowing abortions until fetal viability, generally around 24 weeks. A new amendment on the state’s November ballot would repeal the 2024 amendment and ban most abortions, with limited exceptions for medical emergencies, rape, and incest.