Why is Eric Greitens holding a weird and costly “emergency session” on abortion? A Q&A with NARAL executive director Alison Dreith

Missouri Governor Patrick Bateman Eric Greitens has called the Legislature back to Jefferson City twice now since the end of the regular session in May. The first special session was, Greitens said, to lure a steel mill to the Bootheel. It also paved the way for the St. Louis–based monopoly utility Ameren — which has given north of six figures to Greitens in campaign donations, and employed nearly 50 lobbyists in Jeff City this year — to set special rates for large-scale consumers, effectively shifting the cost burden away from manufacturers (in this case, a steel company from India) and onto ordinary households.

Among those who took issue with this were Republicans like Rob Schaaf.

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Now, Gov. Greitens is back for more transparent grandstanding, talking tough about the sanctity of life to the fools who believe this former Democrat actually gives a shit about abortion. With lawmakers headed into yet another special session this week, we asked Alison Dreith to give us some context. Dreith is the executive director of NARAL Missouri, a pro-choice group forever fighting against the gradual chipping away of women’s reproductive rights in Missouri. Yesterday, the group helped stage a Handmaid’s Tale–style demonstration in the chambers to draw attention to the subjugation of women inherent in this kind of lawmaking. (Greitens won’t even be in Jeff City, by the way, for today’s session. He’s hanging out in Aspen.) Our interview has been edited for clarity. 

What does it actually mean to hold a special session on abortion? What are they doing down there?

Normally, the legislature meets two times a year. The regular session occurs from January through May, and a veto session is scheduled in September. Governor Greitens has called his second extra session outside of that solely to attack women’s healthcare. Rather than focusing on creating jobs or improving our schools, Greitens and his Republican allies are wasting taxpayer money to focus on fringe issues that don’t align with the priorities of hard-working Missourians.

Is there any precedent you are aware of for an abortion special session?

This is completely unprecedented but absolutely unsurprising, in our state. Missouri already has some of the most extreme reproductive healthcare restrictions in the country, yet Greitens is undeterred. The fact is that 7 in 10 Americans agree that abortion should remain legal and accessible. That’s as true in red states as it is in blue states. Despite this consensus, Greitens and his GOP allies continue their endless obsession over abortion instead of proposing ideas that will actually make our lives better.

What changes were made to Missouri abortion laws this year, and what changes are still being discussed?

This year alone, they put forward over 40 separate proposals to further restrict basic reproductive healthcare and defund Planned Parenthood. Now these same lawmakers are using this emergency session of the state legislature to push their fringe agenda even further. They want to push medically unnecessary restrictions in an effort to shame women who seek abortion. They want to further protect so-called “crisis pregnancy centers” First Amendment rights, which mislead women about their healthcare options, taking aim at a local law that protects women and families against discrimination based upon private reproductive health choices. They want to give the Attorney General prosecuting superpowers.

Of those, which are the most pernicious, in your view?

Mandating that a physician must provide mandatory consent 72 hours before a procedure. No other medical procedure in existence requires mandatory delays and the consent of a third party. The premise behind these restrictions is that women can’t be trusted to make their own medical decisions, and aims to stop Planned Parenthood from being able to provide abortions in Kansas City, Columbia, Springfield, and Joplin.

How much is this special session costing?

As of last week, the special session had already cost a total of $140,000 and growing quickly. Greitens is letting taxpayers fund his own political ambitions at a rate of $20,000 per day. Let that sink in.

Do you believe Greitens actually cares about this issue?

Despite the governor’s claims, this has nothing to do with protecting women’s health. This is about throwing women under the bus in order to advance his own political ambition. In doing so, he’s ignoring the voices of Missouri women and families who are shocked by his dangerous agenda. For Gov. Greitens, this is really about getting free advertising for his personal political ambitions by forcing his out-of-touch ideology on families across the state.

What do expect to come out of this?

The unfortunate truth of the matter is that, despite their unpopularity, Gov. Greitens is using his legislative majority to ram these proposals through. Ultimately, as long as these same leaders keep getting elected by the voters, there’s little to stop them from continuing to make life worse for families across the state. Constitutionally, Gov. Greitens could continue to waste our tax dollars to pay for his special session through August 11. As long as the governor continues down this dangerous path, NARAL members will be there to confront him every step of the way.