Hey Missouri...blame Canada

Kaiser reports that the Kansas City Star on Tuesday examined the "struggle[s]" abortion-rights opponents have faced in their attempts to pass several abortion-related measures during the 2005 and 2006 Missouri Legislature sessions.

According to the Star, at the end of the 2006 session, only one of Gov. Matt Blunt's (R) three "meaningful pro-life" proposals -- a bill (HB 1485) that would give a tax credit for donations to pregnancy centers that do not perform abortions or refer women to clinics that perform the procedure -- had been passed.

May I ask...what would be considered a "non-meaningful pro-life" proposal?
Typical wording.

Measures that proposed restricting who could teach sex education in schools and allowing pharmacists to decline to fill prescriptions for emergency contraception, which can prevent pregnancy if taken up to 72 hours after sexual intercourse, along with "several other antiabortion measures with much lower profiles" failed in the state Legislature, the Star reports.

Although most Missouri Republicans and many Democratic lawmakers say they are "pro-life," relations between lawmakers and many advocacy groups have been "frosty," the Star reports.

In addition, state House and Senate leadership have blamed each other for failing to approve more proposals for which groups that oppose abortion rights advocated, according to the Star.