MoLeg Weekly Wrap-Up
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- Defunding Women’s Health and Family Planning in Missouri: Last week, the House debated and passed the budget. House Bill 11, the Department of Social Services budget, contains a provision that would disqualify most of the providers in Missouri’s family planning program — including Planned Parenthood — leaving low-income patients seeking birth control or STI tests with nowhere to go. In order to disqualify all of these providers, legislators must reject millions in federal family planning funds and use scarce state taxpayer dollars instead. The budget now heads to the Senate, where hearings will begin this week. Please contact your senator and urge them to stand up for Missouri women’s health!
- Planned Parenthood Advocates in Missouri: Protect Access to Women’s Health Care
- Planned Parenthood Advocates in Missouri: HB 11 Fact Sheet
- Senate Debates Repeal of Nondiscrimination Protections and Imposing New Abortion Restrictions: Senators debated Senate Bill 41 for more than six hours on Monday evening into early Tuesday morning. The measure aims to repeal the City of St. Louis’ Board Bill 203, which protects citizens from discrimination based on reproductive health decisions. Supporters of SB 41 claim that BB 203 makes St. Louis an “abortion sanctuary city,” and their response is to allow employers and landlords to discriminate against St. Louisans who are pregnant, use birth control, have an abortion, or use IVF. The next day, the Senate took up Senate Bill 67, a measure that imposes medically unnecessary, unconstitutional regulatory burdens on health centers that provide abortion. Senate Bill 67 is the latest in a long line of targeted restriction of providers (TRAP) bills that have been filed in the legislature over the years.
- Kansas City Star: Abortion debates stall Missouri Senate; no ‘goofy’ tax moves in Kansas
- Planned Parenthood Advocates in Missouri: SB 41 Fact Sheet
- Planned Parenthood Advocates in Missouri: SB 67 Fact Sheet
- New Lows - Comparing Pregnant People to Giraffes & Recommending Abortion Care at the Zoo: While debating a completely unrelated bill on Wednesday, Sen. Bob Onder (R-2) proposed renaming the St. Louis Zoo the “The Midwest Abortion Sanctuary City Zoological Park.” During the ensuing discussion, Sen. Onder and Sen. Wayne Wallingford (R-27), compared pregnant people to giraffes and suggested that they seek abortion care at the zoo. These outlandish statements demonstrate a profound disrespect for women and the Senate majority's out-of-touch priorities.
- St. Louis Post-Dispatch: Missouri senator links St. Louis Zoo tax and abortion proposal
- Huffington Post: Male Lawmakers Suggest Women Go To The ‘Zoo’ For Abortions
- Planned Parenthood Advocates in Missouri tracks many bills that would affect Missourians’ sexual and reproductive health. You can learn more and follow their progress on our website. To see each measure’s sponsoring legislator(s) and its status, check out our 2017 Bill Summaries. Your messages to lawmakers make an impact!
- Planned Parenthood Advocates in Missouri: 2017 Bill Summaries
- Planned Parenthood Advocates in Missouri: 2017 Fact Sheets
Event Recap: GOV 101 & PPGP Conference
- GOV 101 in Springfield: On Thursday night, 145 citizens turned out in Springfield for the fifth statewide GOV 101 presentation. Planned Parenthood Grassroots Organizer Stacy Sherrod sat on a panel with Rep. Crystal Quade (D-132), Karis Agnew of PROMO, Nimrod Chapel of Missouri NAACP, and Ashley Quinn of Empower Missouri to discuss legislative challenges facing their movements and how best to make our voices heard at the state level.
- Planned Parenthood Great Plains Conference: "Sexual and Reproductive Health: Expanding Access to Care" was a huge success thanks to coalition partners, speakers, and supporters like you. Nearly 200 people from across the region joined PPGP at the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation Conference Center to learn about providing health care to LGBTQIA people and how we can be better advocates for sexual and reproductive rights. Stay in-the-know about PPGP educational events at education.ppgreatplains.org. [Photos courtesy of Shari Hartbauer.]
- There are new opportunities to get involved, take action, and #StandWithPP!
- Planned Parenthood Event Calendar: Find an event near you
Lobby Day
There are two more opportunities to talk to your lawmakers in Jefferson City: Moral Missouri Lobby Day and Rally on April 26, and Freedom of Choice Council Lobby Day on May 4. Our organizers will prep you with materials and information so you can talk to your legislators with confidence!
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