House Bill would compel state to respect new constitutional right

FILE PHOTO: State Rep. Emily Weber speaks to the Missouri House of Representatives on January 3, 2023.

As Missouri’s elected Republicans have proven to be wholly untrustworthy when it comes to respecting the reproductive decisions of their constituents, state Rep. Emily Weber filed House Bill 581, to compel the state government to do exactly that.

“If you’re asking yourself, ‘why is it necessary to pass a bill which obligates the government to follow the constitution,' you might begin to understand the unprecedented nature of how our elected supermajority is abusing the power Missourians granted them,” Weber said. “Given that this matter was placed before voters only three months ago means this should be one of the very last issues taking up our valuable session time.”

Versions of the bill, officially titled the “Respect People's Abortion Decisions Act,” have been filed by Democrats in each of at least the last 10 legislative sessions but has been perennially ignored by Republican House leadership, who refuse to even grant the bill a committee hearing.  

In 2025, however, Republicans can no longer claim to hold a majority opinion on this issue after the passage of Amendment 3 made clear where Missouri voters stand.

“Our obligation now, as always, is to carry out the will of voters and make sure their decisions are respected and their rights are protected,” Weber said.

Additionally, Weber filed House Bill 578, which would require “all organizations that provide pregnancy-related services or counseling to provide medically accurate and unbiased information about birth control, adoption, labor and delivery, and postpartum care in order to be eligible to receive state funding.”  

Rep. Weber represents parts of Kansas City in Jackson County and serves as the House Minority Caucus Chair.