JEFFERSON CITY – Rep. John McCaherty, R-Murphy and pastor of First Baptist Church, Murphy, and 41 other members of the Missouri House of Representatives believe that a mother should not be coerced into having an abortion simply because she wants a child of the opposite sex.
They have joined together to sponsor House Bill 386 (HB 386) which would also protect unborn babies who have been diagnosed with possible physical or mental disabilities.
“We are trying to stop the sales process,” McCaherty said
“We are seeing a lot of false positives. Some are diagnosed with Down Syndrome in the womb but are perfectly healthy when they come out.”
McCaherty said sex selection abortions have been increasing because of merging cultures.
“This is what they grow up with,” he said of those coming from other countries. “They want a son. There are more of them coming to the U.S. They abort a child because it’s a female.
“That decision’s got to be made in the home and not in the doctor’s office. It really is a sales pitch: ‘You don’t really want a girl, so we can try again.’”
As to the marketing, McCaherty said it is in the advertisements, the way Planned Parenthood sells these abortions.
“It’s a growing problem that just needs to be stopped,” he said.
“We can’t really stop abortion completely, but the Supreme Court has allowed us to put restrictions on it.”
In HB 386, penalties are placed on the doctor, not the mother. The way the law is written federally, McCaherty said, she has the right to choose. The doctor doesn’t have the right to choose for her.
Doctors who urge a woman to abort could expose themselves to criminal charges and lawsuits.
“It gives teeth to the woman, and that’s what she needs to have – some teeth to go back to the doctor and prosecute,” he said. “Right now, they have no resources.”