Of Course: In Missouri, Pregnant Women Can't Get Divorced

In many right-wing Jesus-y states, laws tend to treat women (especially pregnant women!) as chattel, with no right to autonomy. A Democrat is trying to change that. Via KC4.com:

“It just doesn’t make sense in 2024,” said State Rep. Ashley Aune, a Democrat representing District 14 in Platte County, and that’s where it becomes a problem for her.

She introduced a bill this legislative session that essentially says pregnancy cannot prevent a judge from finalizing a divorce or separation.

“I just want moms in difficult situations to get out if they need to,” she said.

She agreed that while the law was made with good intentions, like making sure kids are taken care of, she feels it needs to be updated to reflect modern times.

“This is something that was brought to me by folks in my community who shared that it was a huge problem,” Aune said.

A report from Missouri’s Department of Health and Senior Services says out of 10,098 women surveyed between 2007-2014, nearly 5% were abused either before or during pregnancy. That equates to about 500 women.

But then, they're only women and probably deserved it.

read more