A bill in Missouri would force women to watch a graphic video with information about the alleged risks of abortion and alternative choices before being allowed to have one, the website ThinkProgress reported on Thursday.
The video would contain information about potential risks such as “infection, hemorrhage, cervical tear or uterine perforation, harm to subsequent pregnancies or the ability to carry a subsequent child to term, and possible adverse psychological effects” and would also provide information about alternatives to abortion.
Women in Missouri must already attend an in-person counseling session that provides similar information and wait 72 hours before being allowed to proceed with an abortion, according to ThinkProgress. Should they complete all the necessary requirements women can then have an abortion at the only clinic within the state.
State Rep. Linda Black (R) reportedly said the video would “enhance current law” by allowing blind women and those with disabilities to hear the information again, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported.
The bill was passed by a legislative committee on Tuesday and will now head to the House. Although it’s the first anti-abortion bill to make it to the House this year, there are over a dozen proposed bills that seek to limit abortion currently awaiting consideration, the Post-Dispatch reported. Another bill proposed in December reportedly seeks to require consent from the father before a woman may have an abortion.
Image via Shutterstock / Alexander Raths
