Embryologist Ric Ross holds a dish with human embryos at the La Jolla IVF Clinic February 28, 2007 in La Jolla, California. The clinic accepts donated embryos from around the country through The Stem Cell resource which are then given to stem cell research labs for research. (Photo by Sandy Huffaker | Getty Images)
When Missourians head to the polls in November, they may get to vote on whether to overturn their state’s near-total abortion ban and legalize abortions up to the point of fetal viability.
But one lawmaker says the results of that vote may not matter if his colleagues approve his bill declaring that fetuses are people.
Missouri state Rep. Brian Seitz, a Republican, plans to reintroduce a bill in January that would grant “unborn children” the same rights as newborns, building on a similar Missouri law that has been on the books since the 1980s.
Seitz said the bill would provide protections for embryos and fetuses “regardless of that vote in November.”
Absolute abortion bans remain unpopular , even in conservative-led states and among Republican women . So during this legislative session, many GOP state lawmakers pivoted to protecting the rights of fertilized eggs, embryos and fetuses. And when the national Republican Party released its official platform in July , it made no mention of a federal abortion ban. Instead, the GOP affirmed states’ prerogative to pass laws protecting life under the Constitution’s 14th Amendment, which has been used in legal arguments to support fetal personhood.