Missouri Abortion Ban for Sex Selection and Genetic Abnormalities Act of 2013 (HB 386)

HB 386 would have prohibited a person from intentionally performing or attempting to perform an abortion with the knowledge that the pregnant woman is seeking the abortion solely due to the sex of the unborn child or because the unborn child has been diagnosed with a genetic abnormality or a potential for a genetic abnormality.

The bill provides that a person who violates this provisions commits a Class A misdemeanor unless the person has previously pled guilty to or been convicted of a violation of the act, in which case the person is guilty of a class D felony. The bill further states that a physician who violates the provision may have his or her license suspended or revoked, and that a pregnant woman may not be prosecuted under the law or for conspiracy to violate the law.

Sex-selection abortions are not a widespread problem in the United States. However, anti-choice activists cite three studies documenting the use of sex-selection abortion primarily among a small number of immigrant women. The National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum notes that a ban similar to the proposed Missouri ban “targets and thus limits reproductive health access for Asian American & Pacific Islander women, who anti-choicers say are the ones guilty of this abortion practice. We know the real solution to ending the preference for sons in some families is getting to the root of the problem: gender inequity. If lawmakers truly want to help us, we call on them to promote equal pay, access to education, health equity, and ending violence against women.”

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