JEFFERSON CITY, Missouri: Missouri’s Republican-led House on Tuesday advanced a bill that would ban almost all abortions in the state if the US Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade.
And if the high court doesn’t switch course, the Missouri bill would ban most abortions after a fetal heartbeat can be detected. That can be as early as six weeks into a pregnancy.
“It is time to join the many states providing a commonsense but strong voice for the voiceless children that have yet to be born,” bill sponsor Rep. Nick Schroer, R-O’Fallon, told colleagues on the House floor. “Today, let us make known to the citizens of this great state and every state in the nation that Missouri stands for the unborn.”
House members loaded up Schroer’s bill, which originally focused only on banning most abortions after fetal heartbeats are detected, with a number of other abortion restrictions during debate on the floor Tuesday.
Lawmakers voted 110-37 to give the wide-ranging bill initial approval. It needs another House vote to move to the Senate.
The bill comes as abortion opponents across the country are hopeful the high court — with new Justices Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh — will either reverse Roe v. Wade, or uphold specific state laws that could undermine the court’s 1973 ruling establishing a nationwide right to abortion.
Arkansas’ Republican governor last week signed into law a measure to ban abortion in that state if Roe v. Wade is overturned. Like the Missouri bill, it includes exceptions for medical emergencies but not for rape or incest.
Louisiana, Mississippi, North Dakota and South Dakota have similar “trigger” bans on the books.
Efforts to pass bills limiting abortions after a fetal heartbeat is detected are underway in states including Florida, Kentucky, Ohio, South Caroline and Tennessee.
Kansas City Democratic Rep. Judy Morgan said if the Missouri law is enacted “it will effectively ban abortion in our state.” She also cautioned colleagues about the bill’s estimated $7.7 billion price tag , which reflects the potential loss of federal Medicaid funding because the legislation does not include exceptions for rape or incest.
Morgan said the bill could “hurt a lot of people,” but Schroer said other states have not been cut off from federal Medicaid funding for passing similar laws.
Other provisions in the Missouri bill include a ban on abortions based on race, sex or an indication of Down Syndrome. The legislation also would require that both parents are notified before a minor receives an abortion.
The Missouri efforts won praise from Republican Gov. Mike Parson, who in a Tuesday statement said he applauds “the bipartisan efforts of the Missouri House of Representatives for choosing to take a bold stand to protect women’s health and the right to life.”
Missouri House moves to restrict abortion
Missouri House moves to restrict abortion
UK drops plans for mandatory digital ID for workers in latest U-turn, media reports
- The digital ID would be held on people’s mobile phones, the government said
- The plan drew criticism from political opponents and warning it could infringe on civil liberties
LONDON: Britain is set to drop plans to make it mandatory for workers to hold a digital identity document, The Times newspaper, the BBC and other media reported on Tuesday, potentially marking another policy U-turn for the Labour government.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced in September last year that his government would require every employee to hold a digital ID in an attempt to tackle illegal migration and reduce the threat from the populist Reform UK party.
The government said the digital ID would be held on people’s mobile phones and become a mandatory part of checks employers must make when hiring staff.
The plan drew criticism from political opponents, with some arguing it would not deter illegal migration and others warning it could infringe on civil liberties.
The Times said the government abandoned the plan amid concerns it could undermine public trust in the scheme, noting that when introduced in 2029, digital IDs would be optional rather than mandatory.
Other forms of documentation, such as an electronic visa or passport, would still be valid, The Times said.
“We are committed to mandatory digital right to work checks,” a government spokesperson said. “We have always been clear that details on the digital ID scheme will be set out following a full public consultation which will launch shortly.”
The spokesperson said current checks rely on a “hodgepodge” of paper-based systems, with no record of whether they were ever carried out, leaving the process open to fraud and abuse.
If plans for a mandatory digital ID are dropped, it would mark another policy climbdown for Starmer.
In December, the government scaled back a plan to raise more tax from farmers, months after it backed down on cuts to welfare spending and scaled back a proposal to reduce subsidies on energy bills for the elderly.
