Monday Monitor: April 9, 2018

By Planned Parenthood Advocates in Missouri | April 9, 2018, 6 p.m.

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MoLeg Update

On Tuesday, April 3, the House Children and Families Committee heard four measures designed to restrict access to safe, legal abortion.

• HB 1867 co-opts very real concerns about discrimination to ban safe, legal abortion. Sex-selection bans are based on racist – and false — stereotypes about AAPI women preferring boys, according to testimony from the National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum (NAPAWF).

• HB 2159 endangers teens who experience abuse or neglect at home by criminalizing a trusted adult who helps a minor across state lines for an abortion without parental consent.

• HB 2589 aims to preempt a proposed local St. Louis health center safety law. This bill revokes local control and prevents communities from passing local public safety measures.

• HJR 53 would ban popular birth control methods, including the pill and the IUD, prohibit commonly used fertility treatments and ban abortion entirely.

The bills await a vote in the committee before advancing.

Following the committee hearing, the full House of Representatives voted to pass HB 1266, which bans abortion later in pregnancy. Several Democratic representatives spoke against the bill, including Rep. Bruce Franks Jr., who called on the body to leave these decisions to women, their families, and their doctors. The Senate is likely to hold a hearing on HB 1266 in the next few weeks. If you’d like to testify before the committee, let us know!

The House took a step forward tonight by passing HB 1499, which will increase access to long-acting reversible contraception (LARC), like the IUD and the implant. The bill now moves to the Senate.

• St. Louis Public Radio: Missouri Republicans push several abortion proposals during second half of 2018 session

• Follow Planned Parenthood Advocates in Missouri on Twitter for updates from committee hearings and floor debate

Stand up for access to birth control!

They’re at it again: Jefferson City politicians are trying to deny patients access to birth control, cancer screenings, and STI tests.

The federal Medicaid program allows Missourians with low incomes to access this care at the provider of their choice — but lawmakers are trying to block these patients from choosing certain providers, including Planned Parenthood.

What will this mean? Many patients will have nowhere else to go for this vital preventive health care. And if that weren’t enough, it would risk Missouri’s entire Medicaid program by violating federal law.

Contact your state senator now!

April 17th Lobby Day

Mark your calendars for Tuesday, April 17 and join fellow advocates talking with lawmakers in Jefferson City about Missourians’ sexual and reproductive health and rights! We have carpools leaving from Columbia, Kansas City, Springfield, and St. Louis. Whether you’ve never been to the Capitol or you’ve walked the halls a hundred times, join us and make a difference!

Columbia RSVP

Kansas City RSVP

Springfield RSVP

St. Louis RSVP

Stand With Planned Parenthood in Your Community

Recap: Planned Parenthood Action Forums in Columbia & Kansas City

On March 29, more than a dozen Planned Parenthood supporters met at the Columbia Health Center for our first Action Forum of 2018. Supporters learned about our action guide and formed our first Columbia Action Council. Stay tuned for more Action Forums to get involved for the fight for reproductive justice! If you want to learn more or join a Mid-MO Action Council, email Cortney!

Planned Parenthood Great Plains Votes had its first Kansas City Action Forum on Sunday, April 8. Participants joined together to create Action Councils that will work to advance reproductive rights in both Missouri and Kansas by registering voters and getting out the vote for candidates who will stand strong for Planned Parenthood patients. Want to join an Action Council in KC? Connect with Jack and ask how!

Volunteer Opportunities

Join the fight for access to health care on the state and federal levels! Join Planned Parenthood Advocates’ organizers and volunteers to crowd-canvass, make calls, and enter data. You can participate in the phone banks in person or remotely!

• St. Louis Legislative Accountability Phone Bank: Wednesday, April 11 from 5:30 - 7:00 p.m.

• St. Charles Signature Gathering for Clean Missouri: Thursday, April 12 from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

• Jefferson County Signature Gathering for Clean Missouri: Friday, April 13 from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

• Springfield Legislative Accountability Phone Bank: Friday, April 13 from 12:00 - 3:00 p.m.

• Springfield “Death by Delivery” Screening & Discussion with SWMO NOW: Sunday, April 15 from 2:00 - 4:00 p.m.

Clean Missouri Democracy Reform Campaign

Planned Parenthood Advocates in Missouri is supporting Clean Missouri, a non-partisan effort to reform our democracy by banning big lobbyist gifts, capping campaign contributions, and improving the way we draw district lines. Join us and help put power back in voters' hands!

• Springfield: Email Southwest Missouri Grassroots Organizer Stacy Sherrod

• St. Louis: Email Manager of Policy and Advocacy Alaina Smith

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