Culture and Social Issues

Republican Gov Signs Bill Withholding Taxpayer Funding From Abortion Providers

Pro-life and pro-choice demonstrators gather in front of the US Supreme Court in Washington, DC, on May 3, 2022. - The Supreme Court is poised to strike down the right to abortion in the US, according to a leaked draft of a majority opinion that would shred nearly 50 years of constitutional protections. The draft, obtained by Politico, was written by Justice Samuel Alito, and has been circulated inside the conservative-dominated court, the news outlet reported. Politico stressed that the document it obtained is a draft and opinions could change. The court is expected to issue a decision by June. The draft opinion calls the landmark 1973 Roe v Wade decision "egregiously wrong from the start." (Photo by Brendan SMIALOWSKI / AFP) (Photo by BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images)

Republican Gov. Mike Parson of Missouri signed a bill Thursday barring taxpayer funding from Medicaid be used to pay abortion providers, according to a press release.

The bill, HB 2634, was introduced in February and makes it “unlawful for any public funds to be expended to any abortion facility, or any affiliate of such abortion facility,” according to the text. Lawmakers passed the legislation overwhelmingly in both state chambers, and Parson touted his record as the “strongest pro-life administration in Missouri history” in a press release after signing the bill into law.

“We’ve ended all elective abortions in this state, approved new support for mothers, expecting mothers, and children, and, with this bill, ensured that we are not sending taxpayer dollars to abortion providers for any purpose,” Parson said. “We thank members of the General Assembly for recognizing this important issue and sending this legislation to my desk.”

.@GovParsonMO signs the bill barring abortions providers and their affiliates from receiving Medicaid reimbursements. This is aimed at Planned Parenthood. According to House & Senate budget chairmen, no money has gone to Planned Parenthood for at least the last 2 years. #moleg pic.twitter.com/rz2LjLZdxG

— Emily Manley (@EmilyManleyTV) May 9, 2024

Missouri currently bans public funding of abortions and the new bill seeks to also prohibit funding through Medicaid for abortion providers, according to Fox News 2, a local media outlet. Abortion is also banned, with a limited exception for medical emergencies, in the state due to a trigger law that went into effect after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in a landmark decision in June 2022.

The bill comes after the state Supreme Court ruled in February that a budget measure cutting funding from Planned Parenthood was unconstitutional. The justices upheld a previous decision arguing that the measure violated equal protection rights and the state Constitution’s provision requiring laws be centered around a “single subject.”

In Nevada, a judge ordered in March that the state must remove barriers preventing Medicaid funding from covering abortion procedures. The court claimed that a law prohibiting the funding violated women’s rights.