Missouri Lawmakers Weigh Bill to Curb Abortions Out of State
The measure would allow private lawsuits against anyone helping a Missouri resident who seeks an abortion out of state. The prohibitions could only be enforced through lawsuits filed by citizens. State government would have no enforcement authority. Also, AP looks at an evolution in the attitude about abortion among obstetricians and gynecologists.
Kansas City Star:
Missouri Bill Would Allow Lawsuits Against Those Who Help Women Obtain Abortions Out Of State
A Missouri lawmaker wants to stop residents from obtaining abortions outside the state by allowing lawsuits to be filed against anyone who helps them. Rep. Mary Elizabeth Coleman, an Arnold Republican, has proposed a measure that would make performing an abortion on a Missouri resident — or helping a Missouri resident get one — illegal. (Shorman, 3/8)
In other abortion news —
AP:
Amid Abortion Rights Threat, OB-GYNs More Vocal With Support
As the Supreme Court mulls whether to uphold Mississippi’s 15-week abortion ban, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists filed a brief against the state law, calling it “fundamentally at odds with the provision of safe and essential healthcare.” But the organization’s support for abortion hasn’t always been unequivocal. After the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision guaranteed the right to abortion, American OB-GYNs remained divided on the issue. Many declined to perform elective abortions either out of moral opposition or because they wanted to avoid the “butcher” stigma that still clung to abortion doctors from the pre-Roe days. (Loller, 3/8)
Bloomberg:
Investors Warn Arizona Abortion Restrictions Could Curb Business
A group of investors led by a private-equity firm focused on reproductive health is warning U.S. state lawmakers that limiting access to abortion will hinder their ability to attract talent and curb economic growth. A letter spearheaded by Shelley Alpern, the director of shareholder advocacy at Rhia Ventures, will be sent to Arizona legislators Tuesday. The organizers, who say the signatories have more than $40 billion of assets under management, plan to send similar missives to lawmakers in other states that move to curtail abortion services. (Kinery, 3/8)
AP:
University Gets Collection From Lawyer Who Argued 'Roe' Case
Papers, pictures and other artifacts belonging to Sarah Weddington, a Texas lawyer who at the age of 26 successfully argued the landmark abortion rights case Roe v. Wade before the U.S. Supreme Court, will become part of Texas Woman’s University’s permanent collection. The university in Denton said Tuesday that before Weddington died at 76 in December, she donated her papers to TWU’s Jane Nelson Institute for Women’s Leadership. (3/8)
Also —
The Washington Post:
Michigan GOP Candidate Robert Regan Said He’d Tell Daughters To ‘Lie Back And Enjoy It’ If Raped
A Republican candidate favored to win a seat in the Michigan House said he tells his daughters to “just lie back and enjoy it” if raped, as he attempted to make an analogy about abandoning efforts to decertify the results of the 2020 election. Robert Regan, who is running to represent Michigan’s District 74 in the state legislature, made the comments during a Facebook live stream Sunday. (Alfaro, 3/8)
