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
Trump hopes North Carolina speech will bolster standing on US economy
- Trump works to turn around public opinion on economy
- Opinion polls show Americans have doubts
ROCKY MOUNT, North Carolina: US President Donald Trump traveled to the “battleground” state of North Carolina on Friday, seeking to convince Americans that his handling of the economy is sound ahead of a midterm election year that could spell trouble for him and his ruling Republicans. With prices increasing and unemployment up, Trump has his work cut out for him. A Reuters/Ipsos poll released on Tuesday showed just 33 percent of US adults approve of how Trump has handled the economy. Trump is set to argue that the US economy is poised for a surge due to his policies and that any problems they are experiencing are the fault of the Democrats. He contends that he has lowered the price of gasoline, imposed tariffs that are generating billions of dollars for the US Treasury and attracted hundreds of billions of dollars in investment pledges by foreign governments.
Republicans worry, however, that economic woes could jeopardize their chances in elections next November that will decide whether they will keep control of the House of Representatives and the Senate for the remaining two years of Trump’s term. The speech is taking place at a 9 p.m. rally (0200 GMT Saturday) at the convention center in Rocky Mount, North Carolina. The city is represented by a Democrat in the House, Don Davis, who faces a tough re-election fight in 2026 after the boundaries of his congressional district were redrawn. North Carolina is considered a “battleground” state because its statewide elections are closely contested between Democrats and Republicans. But Trump won the state in 2016, 2020 and 2024. The North Carolina event is a stop on the way to his oceanfront Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida, where he plans to spend the Christmas and New Year’s holidays.
The US president has repeatedly said that any economic pain Americans are experiencing should be blamed on policies he inherited from his predecessor, Democratic President Joe Biden.
“Eleven months ago, I inherited a mess, and I’m fixing it,” Trump said in a grievance-filled speech on Wednesday night that he delivered in a jarringly rapid-fire pace. Democrats have argued that Trump himself has bungled the economy, the central issue he campaigned on last year. Trump got some early holiday cheer on Thursday from the Consumer Price Index report for November. It said housing costs rose by the smallest margin in four years. Food costs rose by the least since February. Egg prices — a subject Trump raises regularly — fell for a second month, and by the most in 20 months. The report nonetheless showed that other prices, like beef and electricity, soared. Overall, prices rose 2.7 percent over the year prior. Asked what his message will be in North Carolina, Trump said it would be similar to his last two events, a prime-time address on Wednesday night and a visit to Pennsylvania last week. “We’ve had tremendous success. We inherited a mess, and part of what we inherited was the worst inflation in 48 years,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office on Thursday. “And now we’re bringing those prices down. I’ll be talking about that.”
