Missouri House Committee Votes Against Abolition Bills
On Tuesday, April 29, members of the Missouri House Children and Families Committee held a vote on HB 1072, the Missouri Prenatal Equal Protection Act, as well as HB 1417, which is a duplicate of the same legislation.
The committee voted against giving a Do Pass recommendation to the legislation, which would have established equal protection for preborn babies and fully abolished abortion in Missouri: three members voted in favor, while seven voted against it and five voted present.
Full committee hearing and vote on HB 1072 and HB 1417.
The Need to Abolish Abortion in Missouri
If passed, HB 1072, sponsored by Representative Justin Sparks (R), and HB 1417, sponsored by Representative Burt Whaley (R), would have protected preborn people with the exact same homicide and assault laws that already protect born people, thereby abolishing abortion.
Two weeks earlier, Sparks and Whaley presented their case for equal protection in a hearing before the Missouri House Children and Families Committee, while Christians from across the state traveled to the hearing and offered testimony in favor of the legislation.
Bradley Pierce, president of the Foundation to Abolish Abortion, noted to members that despite Amendment 3 passing last year and codifying abortion into the Missouri state constitution, the provision is null because it violates the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment, and more importantly, the higher law of God. HB 1072 and HB 1417 could have therefore served as the basis of a lawsuit against Amendment 3.
We are a constitutional republic, not a democracy.
— Foundation to Abolish Abortion (@AbolitionistFAA) April 15, 2025
It is irrelevant that Missouri voters approved Amendment 3 (the right to abortion amendment). Missouri legislators have a duty before God and under the U.S. Constitution to abolish abortion regardless of what the voters voted… pic.twitter.com/iHkDh5hXRI
Republicans Refuse to Abolish Abortion
The committee members included five Democrats and eleven Republicans, but most of the Republicans voted against passing HB 1072 and HB 1417.
Those who voted in favor were Holly Jones (R), Jamie Gragg (R), and Ann Kelley (R).
Those who voted against were Tara Peters (R), Wendy Hausman (R), Raychel Proudie (D), Ken Jamison (D), Pattie Mansur (D), Connie Steinmetz (D), and Marlene Terry (D).
Those who voted present were Mike Costlow (R), David Dolan (R), Becky Laubinger (R), Melissa Schmidt (R), and Terri Violet (R), while Cathy Jo Loy (R) was absent.
Though grassroots abolitionists in Missouri say they were told in the days before the vote that the legislation had enough support to pass, the committee members ultimately voted against equal protection for Missouri babies with only three members voting in favor, seven against, and five voting present.
Here is the moment the Missouri House Children and Families Committee voted to kill HB 1072 and HB 1417, the Missouri Prenatal Equal Protection Act.
— Foundation to Abolish Abortion (@AbolitionistFAA) April 29, 2025
With 3 votes in favor, 7 against, and 5 present, the committee denied a Do Pass recommendation for this bill, which would have… pic.twitter.com/925fgZw7fM
In discussion before the vote, multiple committee members expressed general agreement with the principle of equal protection, but they also voiced reservations about the bill.
While the vote against HB 1072 and HB 1417 was disappointing, equal protection is continuing to advance in Missouri. The last time an abolition bill came before committee in Missouri two years ago, it was given only a few minutes for testimony and was never taken up for a vote. In 2025, equal protection was given a full two-hour hearing and a recorded vote.
The members of the Missouri House Children and Families Committee shirked their duty before God to abolish abortion and protect all human beings made in His image. There is a clear need to continue educating Missouri lawmakers about equal protection, and for Missouri lawmakers to exercise courage to defend preborn babies.