Missouri Gov. Mike Parson (R) signed a bill Thursday that prohibits abortion providers and their affiliates from receiving reimbursement from Medicaid.
It is already illegal for taxpayers to directly fund abortions in the state. HB2634 Amend rules to prevent public funds from going to abortion-providing facilities or their “affiliated companies.”
.@GovParsonMO Signs bill banning abortion providers and their affiliates from receiving Medicaid reimbursement. This is intended for Planned Parenthood. No money has been spent on family planning programs for at least the past two years, according to the House and Senate budget chairs. #moreg pic.twitter.com/rz2LjLZdxG
— Emily Manley (@EmilyManleyTV) May 9, 2024
Previous law allowed MO HealthNet participants, including abortion providers, to receive money from the state’s Uninsured Women’s Health Program.
The bill, sponsored by state Rep. Kody Smith (R), aims to end all public funding for family planning.
“House Bill 2634 simply codifies into law that abortion providers and their vendors are not allowed. Affiliates will be reimbursed through the state’s Medicaid program,” Smith said in an April article. statement Once the bill passes Congress. “I am proud to defend legislation that ensures our tax dollars do not support abortion facilities. This vote is the vote of your life.”
“Our administration is the strongest pro-life administration in Missouri history,” Governor Parson said in a statement. press release on thursday. “We will eliminate all elective abortions in this state, authorize new aid for mothers, pregnant women, and children, and with this bill, we will not send tax dollars to abortion providers for any purpose. I guaranteed that.”
“I thank the members of the General Assembly for recognizing this important issue and sending this bill to my desk,” he added.
The move was criticized by Democrats as “extreme.”
“This bill is being rolled out by the Missouri Republican Party even as voters across the country have repeatedly rejected this extreme government overreach at the polls,” Missouri Democratic Party Chairman Russ Carnahan said in a statement. “It’s just another severe attack on reproductive freedom.” statement Get it on FOX2.
“Missouri has one of the most extreme anti-abortion laws, and Missouri Republicans want to go even further,” he complained.
The Great Plains and St. Louis chapters of Planned Parenthood issued the following statement:
Governor Parson’s decision to sign this bill into law is deeply disappointing and harmful to the tens of thousands of Missourians who rely on Planned Parenthood for essential health care. This bill not only violates a Missouri Supreme Court ruling, but also violates federal Medicaid law. By denying Medicaid patients the right to health care through family planning programs, politicians are denying Medicaid patients access to much-needed health care services such as birth control, cancer screenings, annual physicals, and testing and treatment for sexually transmitted diseases. is directly interfering with access.
Planned Parenthood Medical Centers play an important role in Missouri’s health care safety net. Planned Parenthood’s “defunding” puts the sustainability of the state’s entire health care system and the health of all Missourians who depend on it at risk. We remain committed to continuing to fight for the rights of all Missourians to the care they need and deserve. We will continue to do everything we can to continue providing quality, compassionate, life-saving care to patients in Missouri and beyond.
The Pr0 abortion group Missourians for Constitutional Freedoms and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) delivered more than 380,000 signatures to the state legislature. Republican Sen. Jay Ashcroft’s office said last week that it expects to ask voters to overturn the state’s abortion ban later this year.
this morning, @misourians4cf And that @aclu_mo More than 380,000 signatures have been submitted to the Secretary of State’s office in hopes of asking voters to repeal Missouri’s abortion ban later this year. #moreg pic.twitter.com/vzdvdP26dx
— Emily Manley (@EmilyManleyTV) May 3, 2024
