Missouri governor signs bill into law clarifying pregnant women can get divorced
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Bill clarifies pregnancy won't be used to bar a woman from divorce.
- House Bill 1908 passed unanimously to clarify pregnancy can't delay divorce.
- Pregnant women face high risk of violence.
Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe signed a bill clarifying that pregnant women can get divorced, cleaning up language in Missouri law that has led judges to delay divorce proceedings.
Judges are currently allowed to issue divorces to a pregnant couple, but the statute governing the dissolution of marriage requires judges to record whether the wife is pregnant. Judges have interpreted the statute as a factor to weigh when granting or delaying divorce proceedings.
The bill passed unanimously in both chambers, and Kehoe signalled that it would be a priority in his annual State of the State address in January. In a statement accompanying the bill signing, he tied his support for the bill to his opposition to abortion.
“If we are serious about protecting life, we must also be serious about protecting vulnerable women and mothers,” Kehoe said in a statement. “House Bill 1908 ensures that pregnancy is never used as a barrier to prevent a woman from seeking a divorce in unsafe situations.”
Pregnant women are at a heightened risk of domestic violence, and nearly 20% of women report experiencing violence during pregnancy, according to the National Resource Center on Domestic Violence.
The bill was the first to pass both chambers in Missouri this session, and one of three Kehoe signed on Monday. The other is a sweeping criminal justice bill and a bill that increases penalties for sex offenses involving minors.
