Missouri

A Missouri law forbids pregnant women from divorce. A proposed bill looks to change that.

Published

10 months ago

February 29, 2024

A Missouri law forbids pregnant women from divorce. A proposed bill looks to change that.

A bill aims to protect pregnant women who may be in domestic violence situations. Those facing domestic abuse can call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 800-799-7233 or text “START” to 88788.

A controversial law in Missouri doesn’t allow pregnant women to get divorced. The legislation has been in place for 50 years, but there is now a push by a Democratic state representative to overturn it.

The state’s law was initially meant to “prevent what the courts consider the ‘bastardization’ of a child,” Missouri House Rep. Ashley Aune, a Democrat who represents the 14th district in Kansas City, told USA TODAY.

The law was aimed at protecting families and basically made it illegal for pregnant couples to get a divorce before the mother gives birth.

Aune sponsored House Bill 2402. The bill has bipartisan support and is co-sponsored by Rep. Richard Brown (Democrat, 27 District), Rep. Jeff Farnan (Republican, 1 District) and Rep. Sherri Gallick (Republican, 62 District).

The bill would allow “the court to enter a judgment of dissolution of marriage or legal separation if a person is pregnant.” In layman’s terms, it would give pregnant woman the ability to get a divorce finalized.

“Women are terrified for a million other reasons, let’s not give them one more,” said Aune. “Let’s give [women] a break.”

Law could lead to dangerous domestic violence situations

Aune says the issue was brought to her attention by Synergy Services, a Missouri shelter that provides women and their families a safe haven from violent situations.

“The intents [of the law] were noble and I can respect where they came from, however when we know better, we do better,” said Aune. “We know domestic violence is all too common, and one really distressing type of domestic violence is reproductive coercion, and often what that looks like is either an insistence or denial of pregnancy termination and sabotaging birth control.”

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists defines reproductive coercion as “behavior that interferes with contraception use and pregnancy.” It is also commonly called “baby trapping” and can happen to both women and men.

Domestic violence: Minnesota shooting highlights dangers on calls for first responders and victims

Domestic violence advocate says the law gives abusers an advantage

Sara Brammer, the VP of Domestic Violence Services at Synergy Services in Kansas City, said that abusers are very conscious of this law and can use it to keep their spouses from divorcing them.

Brammer is responsible for Synergy’s domestic violence shelter and domestic violence housing program. She also directs Synergy’s Offender Intervention Program.

Around 80% of the people in the program were referred to the program via the court. The time spent in it ranges from 26 to 58 weeks and varies based on how high a survivor’s risk of death is from the violence they experienced. The program consists of seven groups made up of 12 to 15 people each that meet each week.

“I have heard it on both sides that both women feel coerced and not able to divorce, and men are conscious to the fact that [women] can’t get divorced when they’re pregnant,” Brammer told USA TODAY. “And they use that against their partner.”

Brammer said one of the men who was in the program tracked his wife’s ovulation cycle on his cell phone so he could make sure she was always pregnant while she was with him.

“We’re talking about something that is absolutely very coercive and manipulative,” said Brammer. “And there’s a law that supports that.”

She continues on to say that the law not only makes it more difficult for people to leave abusive situations, but it makes the people in those situations feel “powerless.”

Proposed bill is a way out of ‘bad situations’ for women and men, Rep. Aune says

“I have seen friends whose partners [were] incredible partners until they got pregnant, and then all of a sudden they became monsters,” said Aune

Aune said it’s time to give people another option to get out of marriages like the examples she gave. She believes this house bill will help men and women get out of “bad situations” that they are stuck in because of a pregnancy.

Aune said that since this bill gained publicity, men on Reddit are speaking up and saying that this law prevented them from getting out of their marriages.

One example Aune gave was a man whose wife became pregnant when he was deployed overseas.

“There’s obviously no way he was the father,” said Aune. “He was overseas, but he couldn’t divorce his wife.”

According to Aune, if a man’s wife is pregnant, he can’t leave her because the state automatically assumes he is the baby’s father because of their marriage.

A different Reddit user said that despite being separated from his wife, he wasn’t able to divorce her when she got pregnant with the man she was living with at the time of the separation. He says they weren’t allowed to divorce until the baby was born.

Next steps for the proposed bill that would overturn Missouri divorce law

The bill now heads to a House committee for a vote in order to advance. If that happens, next steps in the legislative process will include approval by the full state House and full state Senate. From there, it would end up on the governor’s desk awaiting his signature to officially become a law.

What other states have a divorce law like Missouri’s?

Currently, four states have bans that prevent pregnant women from getting divorced:

Arkansas
Arizona
Missouri
Texas

Julia is a trending reporter for USA TODAY. She has covered various topics, from local businesses and government in her hometown, Miami, to tech and pop culture. You can follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter, Instagram and TikTok: @juliamariegz.

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Missouri

Illinois vs. Missouri Prediction, Odds and Key Players for Sunday, December 22

Published

5 hours ago

December 22, 2024

Press Room

Illinois vs. Missouri Prediction, Odds and Key Players for Sunday, December 22

Illinois and Missouri meet in a semi-neutral floor meeting on Sunday with each team looking for a strong non-conference victory.

The Tigers are enjoying a bounceback campaign this season that already features a win against Kansas. Can the team score another victory against a team with Final Four aspirations in Illinois? The Fighting Illini have thrived on the defensive end, but are still searching for consistency on offense around star freshman guard Kasparas Jakucionis. Can the team find it against Missouri?

Here’s our betting preview.

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Moneyline

Total: 154.5 (Over -108/Under -112)

Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook

Illinois

Kasparas Jakucionis: The 6’6” point guard has thrived to start his college career, averaging 16 points, six rebounds and nearly six assists per game. Jakucionis is a deft three-point shooter as well, hitting 42% of his threes for the perimeter oriented Fighting Illini offense.

Missouri

Mark Mitchell: The Duke transfer has thrived in the new setting, averaging 13 points with five rebounds per game while also providing strong defense as an interior presence with more than a block per game to go with a steal.

Missouri’s heavy ball pressure defense will be a test for Jakucionis, who does have a near-27% turnover rate, but overall this Illinois offense rates out as a strong unit at protecting the ball, ranking top 60 in turnover rate.

With the Tigers aggressive defense, it is vulnerable to letting up second chances, bottom 30 in the country in defensive rebounding rate, which is impactful with the Illinois’ offense elite at generating offensive rebounds, top 30 in the nation.

Missouri’s defense is a bit of a boom-or-bust unit, and I also believe the offense is due to regress after starting the season posting a top three effective field goal percentage in the country at nearly 60% while posting a top three free throw rate.

Illinois’ defense has a ton of length and shuts off the perimeter for opponents, allowing a bottom 40 three-point rate while ranking top five in effective field goal percentage allowed.

This may be an up-and-down affair, but I like this matchup for Illinois to hand Missouri a well overdue loss.

PICK: Illinois -3.5

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-GAMBLER.

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Patrol reports 8 individuals arrested in north Missouri from Dec. 19 to Dec. 21, 2024

Published

13 hours ago

December 21, 2024

Press Room

Patrol reports 8 individuals arrested in north Missouri from Dec. 19 to Dec. 21, 2024

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Between December 19, 2024, and December 21, 2024, the Missouri State Highway Patrol reported eight arrests in north Missouri. The charges ranged from driving while intoxicated (DWI) to vehicle theft and traffic violations. Below is a detailed account of each individual arrested during this period.

Rodney L. Crosby, 43, Council Bluffs, Iowa
On December 19, 2024, at 1:58 p.m., Rodney L. Crosby was arrested in Atchison County. Crosby was charged with vehicle theft under an Emmet County, Iowa, warrant. He was held at the Atchison County Sheriff’s Office with no bond.

Michael L. McMillan, 51, Kansas City, Missouri
On December 19, 2024, at 9:12 p.m., Michael L. McMillan was arrested in Andrew County. He faced charges for driving while intoxicated (DWI), a misdemeanor, speeding, and failing to properly affix a display plate. McMillan was held at the Andrew County Jail on a 12-hour hold.

Denny B. Wiley, 36, Stanberry, Missouri
On December 20, 2024, at 2:33 p.m., Denny B. Wiley was arrested in Gentry County. Wiley was charged with failing to display valid plates on a motor vehicle and misdemeanor DWI. He was held at the Gentry County Sheriff’s Office on a 12-hour hold.

Donita D. Shields, 48, Lee’s Summit, Missouri
On December 20, 2024, at 6:29 p.m., Donita D. Shields was arrested in Clinton County. She was charged with failure to appear (FTA) for a moving traffic violation under a Morgan County warrant. Shields was held at the Clinton County Sheriff’s Office and was bondable.

Bryan J. Castellon Rivas, 22, Omaha, Nebraska
On December 20, 2024, at 10:54 p.m., Bryan J. Castellon Rivas was arrested in Holt County. His charges included exceeding the posted speed limit by 26 mph or more, operating a vehicle without a valid license (first offense), misdemeanor DWI (alcohol), and consuming alcohol while driving. He was held at the Holt County Sheriff’s Office on a 12-hour hold.

Curt J. Batt, 65, Sidney, Nebraska
On December 19, 2024, at 1:15 p.m., Curt J. Batt was arrested in Macon County. Batt was charged with excessive blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of .04 or higher while operating a commercial motor vehicle (CMV). He was held at the Macon County Sheriff’s Department and later released.

George A. Garber, 62, Unionville, Missouri
On December 19, 2024, at 7:13 p.m., George A. Garber was arrested in Putnam County. He was charged with felony DWI (alcohol) as an aggravated offender. Garber was held at the Putnam County Jail and later released.

Jose I. Molina-Argueta, 40, Milan, Missouri
On December 21, 2024, at 12:03 a.m., Jose I. Molina-Argueta was arrested in Sullivan County. He faced a charge of DWI (alcohol) and was held at the Sullivan County Sheriff’s Department before being released.

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Both Missouri River bridges now open at Rocheport, MoDOT announces

Published

21 hours ago

December 21, 2024

Press Room

Both Missouri River bridges now open at Rocheport, MoDOT announces

Both east- and westbound Lance Cpl. Leon Deraps Interstate 70 Missouri River bridges now are open to traffic.

The Missouri Department of Transportation announced the full opening of both bridges Friday. A ribbon-cutting marking the occasion was held Dec. 10 on the eastbound bridge. Prior to the eastbound bridge opening, all traffic, regardless of travel direction, was on the westbound bridge.

The westbound bridge was constructed first, all traffic was shifted to it and then the prior metal girder bridge was demolished. The new eastbound bridge was built in same location as the old bridge. The dual-bridge construction was forward looking in preparation for I-70’s expansion to six lanes statewide.

While the eastbound bridge is open, final touches still are needed and all work should finish by the spring.

“These twin new bridges would not have been possible without the foresight, cooperation and contributions of our federal and state elected leaders as well as the local communities who recognized the long-term value of investing in a bridge that connects their region, the state and the nation,” said Dustin Boatwright, Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission chair at the ribbon-cutting. “This project is a testimony to what’s possible when we work together at all levels.”

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