By BRENT MARTIN

St. Joseph Post

An anti-abortion bill, which could take direct aim at the landmark Roe versus Wade Supreme Court ruling, awaits debate in the Missouri Senate during this last week of the legislative session.

The so-called “Heartbeat Bill” bans abortions once a fetal heartbeat is detected or the fetus can feel pain. It also would ban all abortions in Missouri, except to save the life of the woman, if the U.S. Supreme Court overturns Roe.

Republican State Rep. Shelia Solon of St. Joseph supports the measure and hopes the Senate will fight a promised filibuster against it.

“The Senate hopefully will go ahead and, I guess, stay up all night fighting for it, but if something is worth fighting for it’s for the unborn, it’s for babies and so if there is something that we should stand up and fight all night for it’s the passage of this bill,” Solon tells St. Joseph Post.

Solon had a hand in House Bill 126 moving through the legislature. It was approved by the House Children and Families Committee, which she chairs.

The House approved the measure, but it hasn’t come up for debate in the Senate. It could this week, the last week of this legislative session. It is sure to face fierce opposition.

Solon says the bill has been crafted with an eye to the courts, anticipating the courts might not uphold a ban as early in a pregnancy as when a heartbeat is detected.

“If that provision doesn’t stand, then the bill also has implemented a pain-capable standard that would prohibit abortions past 18 weeks, gestational age,” according to Solon. “Studies have shown that doctors give anesthesia to babies in utero to stop pain. So, I think the science protects that part of it. So, I actually combined two bills and put that in there just in case part of it did not stand up to a court challenge.”

Solon says the legislature cannot back off just because the measure could face a court challenge.

“Missouri is a unique state. We are a very conservative state and serving in the legislature I guess I’ve learned that we just need to do the right thing and hopefully the courts will make the right decisions,” Solon says. “But, we need to just do our jobs and stand up for the citizens of our state and, most importantly, for babies, who are the most vulnerable of all our citizens.”

The legislative session wraps up at six o’clock Friday evening.