KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A Missouri lawmaker wants the state to create a list of pregnant women who are "at risk" of seeking an abortion.
Bill HB 807, proposed by Rep. Phil Amato (R - Arnold), is nicknamed the "Save MO Babies Act."
If passed, Missouri would create a central registry "of each expecting mother who is at risk for seeking an abortion."
The bill does not detail how the state will determine if a woman is "at risk" of seeking an abortion.
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The bill would also track "each prospective adoptive parent who has successfully completed certain screenings, background checks, home studies, and other investigations to ensure the fit of the prospective parent to adopt a child."
The list would be created through the Maternal and Child Services division of the Department of Social Services.
The division will be required to establish a "Missouri Adoptive Resources Services System" for the entire state.
"The function of which is to promote the safe and healthy birth of children in the state through the utilization of existing resources."
The bill states,"It is the policy of this state and its agencies to implement a system to reduce the number of preventable abortions in the state by assisting in expecting mothers in accessing resources as well as facilitating the adoption of a child who would have otherwise been aborted."
The proposed bill comes one month after state lawmakers introduced a different bill aimed at prohibiting abortion if a fetal heartbeat is detected, except in cases of medical emergencies.
“I am confident that when this bill is completed, it will be one of the most comprehensive pieces of adoption reform legislation Missouri has even seen,” said Amato in a press release Wednesday. “We are working with Jay Harms, the lead writer of this bill, along with other expert adoption attorneys, to make the adoption process easier and less costly, while refusing to compromise on the safety of Missouri children. Our hope is that HB 807 will become a best practice and emulated by other states.”
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