A bill introduced in the Missouri state Senate would require doctors to ask women seeking abortion services about their reasons for seeking the procedure. Women would not be required to respond to the question. State Senator Tom Dempsey (R), the bill’s sponsor, argues that the information would help the government better understand women’s reasons for abortion, according to Missouri Net. The bill also requires new information to be given to patients as part of the state’s informed consent laws. Currently, Missouri requires physicians to complete a report on each abortion procedure. The bill expands the information enclosed in the report to include “the reason or reasons the woman sought the abortion, including specific medical, social, economic, or other factors and whether the woman used any method of family planning during the time she became pregnant, and if so, the specific method employed.” The bill also states that “the information shall be voluntarily provided by the woman seeking or obtaining the abortion, but the abortion facility, hospital, or physician shall make all reasonable efforts to collect the information required by this section and shall in no way dissuade, hinder in any way, or otherwise discourage the woman from providing the information required by this act.” According to the Associated Press, the state Senate briefly discussed the bill Wednesday, but did not vote on the legislation.
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