A Republican state senator from Cassville who was a sponsor of a bill extending the waiting period for abortions said he was “deeply disappointed” by Gov. Jay Nixon’s veto of the measure.
“Serious elected officials remember that unborn children are not abstractions to play politics with,” Sen. David Sater said Wednesday. “They are real. They are human beings like you and me, and deserve protection under the law. I firmly believe that most Missourians do not think three days is too much time to decide whether to bring a child into this world.”
In the past, Nixon has let four bills restricting abortion go into effect without his signature. One measure in 2010 required that state-regulated information be read to women seeking abortions; another the next year related to viability of the fetus. Last year, he vetoed a bill that would have provided employers a religious exemption to opt out of covering certain types of contraception in their insurance policies.
Noting that the governor had allowed other abortion bills to take effect, Sater added, “Nixon decides to be pro-life or pro-choice depending on the next election.”
Sater said the bill does not limit a woman’s access to forms of emergency contraception that could be used after a rape that would prevent a pregnancy.
There is one clinic in Missouri where women can go to have an elective abortion. The clinic, operated by Planned Parenthood, is in St. Louis — a 4 1/2-hour drive from downtown Joplin.
The measure was supported by the Joplin delegation to the General Assembly. State Rep. Charlie Davis, R-Webb City, said he rejected the idea that a three-day wait places an unnecessary burden on women seeking an abortion.
“To spend a couple dollars for a hotel room, I don’t think that places an undue burden,” he said. “If we save one life because of this decision, then I think it will be worth it.”
Nixon’s veto was lauded by abortion rights supporters. Cecile Richards, president of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America, said in a statement that the group was grateful for Nixon’s veto and called on the Legislature to “listen to its constituents and sustain this veto.”
“Politicians in Missouri pushed this bill through in the dead of night, over the objections of the people they’re supposed to represent,” she said. “This extreme bill should never have passed in the first place.”
The bill passed the Senate as part of a late-night deal in the final week of the session. Republicans gave up on a controversial bill that aimed to limit political activity of labor unions and another that would place on the ballot a measure allowing the Legislature to require voters to present photo identification at the polls in exchange for Democrats ending their filibuster.