The Quickie: Missouri Lawmakers Vote Down Ban Exceptions In Defund Bill

Welcome to “The Quickie” — Planned Parenthood Action Fund’s daily tipsheet on the top health care & reproductive rights stories of the day. You can read “The Quickie'' online here.

In today’s Quickie: Missouri lawmakers double down on strict state abortion ban, and a house panel in Virginia unanimously rejects a near-total ban.

MISSOURI LAWMAKERS VOTE DOWN BAN EXCEPTIONS IN DEFUND BILL: Lawmakers in Missouri doubled down on the state’s total abortion ban this week, voting down an amendment to allow exceptions for rape and incest. While such exceptions are inadequate for access, especially in a state where decades of restrictions forced all but one provider to close, the vote put members of the Missouri Senate on the record as rejecting care for assault survivors. 

These same lawmakers are undermining reproductive health care with yet another bill attacking the state’s Planned Parenthood affiliates. The bill would bar Planned Parenthood health care providers from participating in the state Medicaid program — again. Neither Planned Parenthood of the St. Louis Region and Southwest Missouri nor Planned Parenthood Great Plains have received reimbursements through Medicaid in nearly two years, and they continue to fight previous defunding efforts in court. 

“There are not enough sexual and reproductive health care providers to fill the gap,” Vanessa Wellbery, vice president of policy and advocacy for Planned Parenthood of the St. Louis Region and Southwest Missouri told the Missouri Independent recently. “This bill is discriminatory, it’s irresponsible, and it would issue a devastating blow to our public health safety net here in Missouri.”

Read more from Truthout and the Missouri Independent. 

 

VIRGINIA HOUSE PANEL REJECTS TOTAL ABORTION BAN: This week, a House subcommittee in the Virginia House of Delegates unanimously rejected a near-total ban that would have only made exceptions for the life of the mother. In last year’s election where every seat in the state legislature was up for reelection, abortion remained a key issue and protecting access to it remained a priority to voters.

Next week, lawmakers are expected to vote on other abortion-related measures, including a bill that would revoke all public funding from any institution that performs abortions or refers out for abortions, including hospitals. Jamie Lockhart, executive director of Planned Parenthood Advocates of Virginia, said such a bill would have a “tremendous impact” on hospitals and organizations such as Planned Parenthood that provide both abortions and health care services including sexually transmitted disease testing and contraception. The floor vote is planned to ensure the position of every lawmaker in Virginia is on the record for this bill. 

Read more in AP