On a special edition of Politically Speaking, St. Louis Public Radio links up with KCUR’s Statehouse Blend to review the ins and outs of the 2019 session of the Missouri General Assembly.
St. Louis Public Radio’s Jason Rosenbaum and Rachel Lippmann joined KCUR’s Samuel King and Brian Ellison to talk about the final week of the legislative session. That’s when the Legislature sent abortion restrictions to Gov. Mike Parson.
The General Assembly passed the far-reaching abortion ban that bars the procedure after eight weeks of pregnancy. There are no exceptions in the bill for women who become pregnant because of rape or incest. And the legislation would ban abortion completely with the exception for medical emergencies if Roe v. Wade is overturned.
The Senate ended up passing Rep. Nick Schroer’s legislation early on Thursday morning. And debate in the House took an emotional turn, with members of both parties relaying personal stories. That included Rep. Holly Rehder, R-Sikeston, talking about how she had her daughter when she was 16 years old — as well as several Democrats, including House Minority Leader Crystal Quade, D-Springfield, recounting their own sexual abuse.
Other topics on the show include:
- How the Conservative Caucus in the Missouri Senate affected the flow of legislation
- Whether Parson had a successful legislative session
- Which major priorities of Parson and the General Assembly didn’t end up making it to the finish line
Follow Jason Rosenbaum: @jrosenbaum
Follow Rachel Lippmann: @rlippmann
Follow Brian Ellison: @ptsbrian
Follow Samuel King: @SamuelKingNews
Music: “Signals Over The Air” by Thursday
