JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. _ Activists on both sides of the debate over abortion descended Wednesday on the Missouri Capitol to rally for and against legislation being debated in the House and Senate.
Against the backdrop of a special session called by Gov. Eric Greitens, groups including NARAL Pro-Choice Missouri, Planned Parenthood, the ACLU of Missouri and Progress Missouri kicked off a rally in the morning opposing the legislation.
In the afternoon, Greitens headlined an event designed to lobby lawmakers to support his order for tougher regulations on abortion providers.
"We believe every life has value," Greitens told a crowd of about 200 gathered in the Capitol.
In the middle of that, senators who had been scheduled to debate legislation on the floor spent much of the day behind closed doors negotiating a revised plan to crack down on abortion providers.
The House, meanwhile, also debated legislation in a committee room with an eye on bringing a final version to the full House next week.
Greitens called lawmakers into special session in reaction to the passage of an ordinance in St. Louis that would bar discrimination against employees who have had an abortion or use birth control. The governor also acted in response to a May 2 federal court ruling that struck down requirements that doctors performing abortions have hospital privileges and abortion clinics meet specific physical requirements.
That ruling, issued by U.S. District Judge Howard Sachs, ruled that a 2016 U.S. Supreme Court decision overturning Texas clinic laws meant Missouri's were no longer enforceable.
After that ruling, Planned Parenthood announced it was planning to open clinics in Springfield, Kansas City and Joplin. Currently, the lone abortion clinic in Missouri is in St. Louis.
In the Senate, lawmakers began debate on a 46-page bill at about 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, but it quickly ran into opposition. The measure includes provisions for more pathology reports on fetal remains and increased protections for abortion clinic employees who report violations of laws.
It also includes language to nullify St. Louis' anti-discrimination ordinance and it would give the attorney general more power to prosecute abortion providers, so long as local prosecutors are given 10 days' notice.
But, the legislation falls short of meeting all of the 15 goals Greitens offered when he called lawmakers back. Among the dropped provisions are a call for increased clinic inspections and tighter controls over counseling, as well as a proposal to make it a crime to ask ambulance crews responding to clinics to do so without sirens.
Republican Sens. Bob Onder of Lake Saint Louis and Ed Emery of Lamar voiced their opposition, suggesting the Senate could be in for a long night of debate.
"I can't say I am pleased with everything that was left out," Emery said.
Greitens was hopeful the final version would not be watered down.
"We're encouraging our senators to stand strong in the cause of life," Greitens told reporters after the rally.
Opponents of the special session say the issues could have been taken up by the Legislature during its regular session that runs from January to May.
"There are many other issues in Missouri that need to be prioritized, such as infant and maternal mortality rates, hunger levels and a lack of health coverage for low-income families. To call this special session for the purpose of restricting reproductive health is dangerous and a waste of taxpayer money," a release from NARAL read.
At least 200 protesters attended a gathering in the Capitol rotunda to oppose the special session. They held signs that included "Dissent is Patriotic" and "20K per day," in recognition of the amount of money it costs to hold a special session.
That brought criticism from anti-abortion rallygoers.
"What price tag do you put on a human life?" asked Steve Rupp, president of Missouri Right to Life.
Jeffrey Mittman, director of the ACLU of Missouri, told the abortion rights activists that any changes approved by lawmakers and Greitens would likely be subject to a court fight.
"A woman's right to choose is a constitutional right," Mittman said.
For some lawmakers, the changes don't go far enough.
Rep. Mike Moon, R-Ash Grove, told members of a House committee that he favors challenging the 1973 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that legalized abortion.
In seeking to overturn Roe v. Wade, Moon said, "The court is not perfect."
Moon, who farms, earlier expressed his dissatisfaction with Greitens' call for a special session by posting a video on Facebook of himself killing a chicken.
