{"id":9785,"date":"2026-05-06T05:55:48","date_gmt":"2026-05-06T10:55:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/westplexnews.com\/index.php\/2026\/05\/06\/missouri-senate-republicans-drop-lawsuits-over-medication-abortions-from-born-alive-bill-2\/"},"modified":"2026-05-06T05:55:48","modified_gmt":"2026-05-06T10:55:48","slug":"missouri-senate-republicans-drop-lawsuits-over-medication-abortions-from-born-alive-bill-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/westplexnews.com\/index.php\/2026\/05\/06\/missouri-senate-republicans-drop-lawsuits-over-medication-abortions-from-born-alive-bill-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Missouri Senate Republicans drop lawsuits over medication abortions from \u2018born-alive\u2019 bill"},"content":{"rendered":"
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State Sen. Brad Hudson, a Republican from Cape Fair, opens a March debate on the “Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act” on the Senate floor (Annelise Hanshaw\/Missouri Independent).<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Missouri Senate Democrats secured a victory Tuesday evening in a deal with Republicans to ax provisions in an <\/span>anti-abortion a bill<\/span><\/a> that sought to <\/span>open the door for lawsuits against anyone involved in an illegal abortion.<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

The \u201cBorn-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act\u201d is a top priority of anti-abortion lawmakers as the legislative session nears a close and primary campaign season approaches.<\/span><\/p>\n

The measure was given first-round approval in the Senate following more than six hours of debate. Democrats persuaded the sponsor, state Sen. Brad Hudson of Cape Fair, to remove the liability provisions and to add others they supported, including an expansion of the state\u2019s maternal mortality review board.<\/span><\/p>\n

At the start of the filibuster, state Sen. Patty <\/span>Lewis, a Kansas City Democrat, accused Republicans of putting forward \u201cyet another abortion ban bill.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Hudson\u2019s original bill would have allowed civil lawsuits against anyone involved in an unlawful abortion, including self-induced abortions. Opponents said it would impact <\/span>medication abortions<\/span><\/a> if Missourians vote to reinstate an abortion ban at the ballot box later this year.<\/span><\/p>\n

Hudson first brought the bill up in the Senate in March but set it aside in the face of determined Democratic opposition. After gaining first-round approval by removing the most controversial provisions, a vote to send it to the House could come as early as Wednesday.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cEven after doing this, we have still been able to maintain the integrity and the purpose of the underlying bill,\u201d Hudson said Tuesday. \u201cTo protect those children who survive an abortive attempt and make sure they\u2019re given the same care as any other child born at the same gestational age.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

Josh Hawley puts Missouri at center of national fight over abortion pill<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

The House passed its version during the first week of February, <\/span>including the civil liability provisions<\/span><\/a> and has since passed out of a Senate committee.<\/span><\/p>\n

On Tuesday, Democratic senators stalled a vote for four hours before Hudson presented the revised bill. For the next two hours, a handful of Republicans criticized the choices Hudson made in paring back the bill and the additions that it included.<\/span><\/p>\n

The final version <\/span>approved Tuesday evening<\/span> would require any healthcare providers present at the time of an unsuccessful abortion to \u201cexercise the same degree of professional skill, care, and diligence to preserve the life, health and comfort of the child.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

This legislation, supporters say, is a safeguard in the rare instance that a baby is born during a failed abortion. The Missouri constitution only protects the right to abortion up to the point of fetal viability, which is the point in pregnancy at which the baby can survive without extraordinary medical interventions.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The bill states <\/span>that anyone who \u201cknowingly performs or attempts to perform an overt act that kills a child born alive\u201d can be charged with first-degree murder, creating the opportunity\u00a0for health care providers to face the death penalty<\/a> if they don\u2019t provide life-saving care to a baby born after an attempted abortion.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

To get the bill to a vote, Democrats added a provision broadening the scope of the state\u2019s Pregnancy- Associated Mortality Review Board, originally proposed by state Sen. Barbara Washington, a Kansas City Democrat.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The board\u2019s expanded duties would include studying the state\u2019s <\/span>maternal healthcare deserts<\/span><\/a>, tracking the level of prenatal and postnatal care given to women who die in childbirth or postpartum and making recommendations to combat racial inequities in maternal deaths.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Republican leadership also agreed to tack on a provision from Lewis that allows victims to seek orders of protection against cyberstalkers and establishes the offense of \u201ccyberharassment\u201d and \u201ccyberstalking.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

State Sen. Joe Nicola, a Republican from Grain Valley, joined state Sen. Mike Moon, an Ash Grove Republican, in declaring he would vote against the bill after accusing Democrats of successfully taking over the legislation.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou know, the party on the other side of the aisle, I like watching them work,\u201d Nicola said. \u201cThey\u2019re masters over there. They\u2019re masters with their amendments.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In March, when the bill was first brought to the Senate floor, <\/span>Hudson <\/span>said he didn\u2019t believe the federal <\/span>Born-Alive Infants Protection Act of 2002<\/span><\/a> went far enough in protecting a baby born after a failed abortion.<\/span><\/p>\n

Missouri\u2019s \u201c<\/span>incredibly liberal abortion law\u201d was a reason for urgency, Hudson said at the time.<\/span><\/p>\n

Democrats have argued the bill is unnecessary because state law already prohibits infanticide. They accuse Republicans of using the bill to win over constituents in an election year.<\/span><\/p>\n

Critics of the bill have also raised concerns about how it could affect <\/span>families who choose to induce early labor following a fatal fetal diagnosis <\/span><\/a>\u2014 a procedure which falls under the definition of abortion in the medical field \u2014 and the providers caring for them.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

State Sen. Tracy McCreery, a Democrat from Kirkwood, said she\u2019s spoken with several doctors who expressed their discomfort with any laws that leave lawyers helping them navigate how they can or can\u2019t practice medicine, causing \u201cconfusion and chaos.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Sponsors of the \u201cborn-alive\u201d legislation have said their intention is that palliative care wouldn\u2019t be affected.<\/span><\/p>\n

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