Gen. Assembly overrides veto on Sater’s abortion waiting-period bill
Sen. Sater
September 17, 2014
Charlea Mills
With the Missouri General Assembly’s veto session over, one controversial bill sponsored by Senator David Sater, R-Cassville, will be passed into law despite Governor Jay Nixon’s veto. Sen. Sater sponsored the original SB 519 that would change the waiting period between when a woman has an initial abortion consultation with a doctor to when the procedure is actually performed from 24-hours to 72-hours.
HBs 1307 and 1313 were the House versions of SB 519 that actually passed during the regular legislative session this year. Those bills were some of more than 30 bills and 100 budget items that Nixon vetoed after the session ended. While not all bills were focused on during the veto session, the abortion waiting period bill was one of the first to receive an override with a 117-44 vote in the House and 23-9 in the Senate. All bills that are granted an override during the veto session will go into effect 30-days after the veto session which only lasted one day, beginning Wednesday, September 10, and ending early Thursday morning at 3:30 a.m.
Senate Minority Leader Jolie Justus, D-Kansas City, led a fillibuster of the bill, but Republicans voted to end the debate and force a vote. Republicans passed the override on a party-line vote.
Missouri’s 72-hour waiting period on abortions puts the state in the same group as Utah and South Dakota who also have the three-day waits. Sen. Sater stated, “Another 48 hours could very well be the difference between a life saved and a life ended. Knowing that a life is at stake, this is the least we can do for these children. Since Roe v. Wade, over 52 million children have been aborted in the U.S. When are we going to say enough is enough and do the right thing?”
The bill has drawn heated debate from both sides of the issue since the beginning. Gov. Nixon’s initial comment about his veto on the bill was that it was “extreme and disrespectful” mostly due to the lack of exception for rape or incest. Rep. Judy Morgan, D-Kansas City, stated, “This is designed to demean and shame a woman into changing her mind.”
Other opponents have said that the new law will impact low-income women most. Currently, Missouri has only one abortion clinic which is located in St. Louis. Those opposed say that a woman travelling and having to wait three days puts them at an economic hardship because of the length of time away from work and staying in a different city.
Despite opposition, both bills passed with overwhelming majority in both the Senate and the House, evening picking up an additional nine Democrat votes in the override session.
Sen. Sater stated last Wednesday during the override session, “I want to thank my colleagues in both the Senate and the House from both sides of the aisle for voting in support of life today. In Missouri, we believe life is worth protecting and today’s vote sends a clear message that Missouri intends to defend those who cannot defend themselves.”
Representative Scott Ftizpatrick, R-Shell Knob, stated, “I was pleased with the outcome of the 72-hour wait period bill at veto session. The house overrode the Governor with an overwhelming bipartisan super majority, far in excess of the minimum votes required. I am glad the Senate was able to finish the job. I’d like to congratulate Senator Sater on successfully handling the most difficult bill of the year.”
Charlea Mills
With the Missouri General Assembly’s veto session over, one controversial bill sponsored by Senator David Sater, R-Cassville, will be passed into law despite Governor Jay Nixon’s veto. Sen. Sater sponsored the original SB 519 that would change the waiting period between when a woman has an initial abortion consultation with a doctor to when the procedure is actually performed from 24-hours to 72-hours.
HBs 1307 and 1313 were the House versions of SB 519 that actually passed during the regular legislative session this year. Those bills were some of more than 30 bills and 100 budget items that Nixon vetoed after the session ended. While not all bills were focused on during the veto session, the abortion waiting period bill was one of the first to receive an override with a 117-44 vote in the House and 23-9 in the Senate. All bills that are granted an override during the veto session will go into effect 30-days after the veto session which only lasted one day, beginning Wednesday, September 10, and ending early Thursday morning at 3:30 a.m.
Senate Minority Leader Jolie Justus, D-Kansas City, led a fillibuster of the bill, but Republicans voted to end the debate and force a vote. Republicans passed the override on a party-line vote.
Missouri’s 72-hour waiting period on abortions puts the state in the same group as Utah and South Dakota who also have the three-day waits. Sen. Sater stated, “Another 48 hours could very well be the difference between a life saved and a life ended. Knowing that a life is at stake, this is the least we can do for these children. Since Roe v. Wade, over 52 million children have been aborted in the U.S. When are we going to say enough is enough and do the right thing?”
The bill has drawn heated debate from both sides of the issue since the beginning. Gov. Nixon’s initial comment about his veto on the bill was that it was “extreme and disrespectful” mostly due to the lack of exception for rape or incest. Rep. Judy Morgan, D-Kansas City, stated, “This is designed to demean and shame a woman into changing her mind.”
Other opponents have said that the new law will impact low-income women most. Currently, Missouri has only one abortion clinic which is located in St. Louis. Those opposed say that a woman travelling and having to wait three days puts them at an economic hardship because of the length of time away from work and staying in a different city.
Despite opposition, both bills passed with overwhelming majority in both the Senate and the House, evening picking up an additional nine Democrat votes in the override session.
Sen. Sater stated last Wednesday during the override session, “I want to thank my colleagues in both the Senate and the House from both sides of the aisle for voting in support of life today. In Missouri, we believe life is worth protecting and today’s vote sends a clear message that Missouri intends to defend those who cannot defend themselves.”
Representative Scott Ftizpatrick, R-Shell Knob, stated, “I was pleased with the outcome of the 72-hour wait period bill at veto session. The house overrode the Governor with an overwhelming bipartisan super majority, far in excess of the minimum votes required. I am glad the Senate was able to finish the job. I’d like to congratulate Senator Sater on successfully handling the most difficult bill of the year.”
