A Missouri bill is proposing the creation of a registration for pregnant women with the objective of reducing the number of "preventable abortions" that are taking place.
State Rep. Phil Amato proposed the bill, which is known as House Bill 807 and is nicknamed the "Save MO Babies Act." The summary of the bill notes that if it passes, the state would establish a registry for every expecting mother within the region who is "at risk for seeking an abortion."
A Registry for Expecting Mothers
The registry would be administered by the Department of Social Services, Division of Maternal and Child Services. If Amato's bill passes, its provisions will go into effect on July 1, 2026. The proposed registry would also include hopeful adoptive parents who have already completed specific screenings, such as background checks and home studies.
The bill also plans to enforce the state to "promote the safe and healthy birth of children in the state." This would be done through various means, such as utilizing existing resources, coordinating community resources, and providing assistance or services to expecting mothers who could seek an abortion, according to Fox2 Now.
However, the proposal did not detail how it would classify expecting mothers into the category of being "at risk" for seeking abortion. What is known is that it would establish a response, evaluation, and legal team comprised of 10 members. It will be appointed between the director of the department, Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe, and the Missouri Supreme Court.
Abortions Across Missouri
The proposed bill comes as the Missouri Department of Health & Senior Services noted that there were more than 3,000 abortions across the state in 2022. This number represented a decrease of 62% compared to 1999, which had more than 8,000.
Amato's bill was referred to the Children and Families Committee on Feb. 13, 2025, and it is scheduled to have a hearing on Wednesday, Feb. 19, 2025. Missouri lawmakers are also pushing for stricter abortion laws within the state, The Hill reported.
This comes as a bill was introduced last month that, if passed, would prohibit abortions if medical professionals detect a fetal heartbeat, with the exception of cases of medical emergencies.
In addition to establishing a registry for expecting mothers, Amato's bill would allow the state of Missouri to share the information it gathers with law enforcement agencies, including those located outside the state, as the Independent reported.
