by Governor Matt Blunt
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When I campaigned for gov- ernor, I promised Missourians that I would work to further the cause of life and we have kept that promise by enacting impor- tant pro-life legislation every year I have served as governor. All life is precious and needs to be treated with the utmost dignity and respect.
In my first year, I called a special session to pass important pro-life legislation requiring that abortion doctors have clini- cal privileges at a hospital within 30 miles of where they perform abortions, enhancing parental consent laws for transporting minors across state lines for an abortion and ensuring that those authorized to consent for a minor’s abortion are not another minor or someone who would financially benefit from the abortion.
In 2006, we enacted an income tax credit for 50% of con- tributions to qualified pregnan- cy resource centers and made unused adoption tax credits available to charities that work with Missouri children in crisis.
In 2007, we made the Alter- natives to Abortion program permanent. We removed abor- tion providers from Missouri classrooms prohibiting them from teaching sex education. And to protect the safety of Missouri women we put abortion clinics on the same footing as other ambulatory surgical cen- ters requiring abortion doctors to meet the same health stan- dards as any other doctors. Also, last year after discovering that previous administrations had programmed taxpayer money to go to Planned Parenthood we immediately took steps to stop the funding.
This year, we continued to protect the sanctity of human life by delivering an additional $250,000 to support the state’s Alternatives to Abortion pro- gram bringing total funding for the program to $1.9 million. This funding will assist an additional 208 expectant mothers. Since I took office we have increased state funding for this program by nearly $1.4 million.
I believe all life is precious and should be treated with respect and that is why I have kept my promise to defend the sanctity and dignity of life. The pro-life legislation we have enacted over the last three and a half years has protected the rights of the most vulnerable in our society.