Republican Gov Signs Bill Withholding Taxpayer Funding From Abortion Providers

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.”

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.