Today, the Missouri State Senate passed Senate Resolution 1793 (SR1793) which summons Planned Parenthood of St. Louis and Southwest Missouri head Mary Kogut to comply with a politically-motivated witchhunt subpoena, on a 24-8 party-line vote. The architect of this travesty of a resolution is none other than State Sen. Kurt Schaefer (R), who is running for Attorney General this fall. This, coming from the man who once said ”the issue of abortion has been settled in the state... I support the status quo.”
Kurt Erickson at STLToday.com:
On a 24-8 vote, senators agreed to move forward with contempt proceedings against Mary Kogut, the CEO of Planned Parenthood of St. Louis and Southwest Missouri and Dr. James Miller of Pathology Services Inc. The vote was along party lines, with Republicans in support and Democrats opposed.
Under the legislation, the two are required under Senate rules to appear in Jefferson City on April 25. Depending on what happens that day, the Senate could choose to pursue charges against the duo carrying possible penalties of $300 in fines and up to 10 days in jail.
The vote marked the latest chapter in an ongoing tussle between Republicans who control the Senate and the abortion provider over documents outlining how fetal tissue is disposed.
Jason Hancock at The Kansas City Star:
According to the Associated Press, the last time the Missouri Senate held someone in contempt was 1899, when they voted to hold a man named Harry Nuttall in contempt for his “conduct, bearing, demeanor and profanity” during a corruption investigation.
In 1903, the House voted to jail two men in for refusing to tell a committee investigating bribery why they were changing a $1,000 bill and two $500 bills into smaller denominations.
Possible contempt charges are just one way Missouri Republicans are targeting Planned Parenthood this year.
Sen. Kurt Schaefer, chairman of the Senate committee investigating the group and a Republican candidate for attorney general, has said lawmakers cannot be sure Planned Parenthood has not broken the law without the records the Senate subpoenaed. Those documents include all of Planned Parenthood's policies and written communication on disposing fetal tissue, as well as information on ambulance visits and all documents mentioning two doctors featured in the undercover videos.
Senate President Pro Tem Ron Richard, a Republican from Joplin, has said it's important to show there are consequences to defying a legislative subpoena.
Sen. Jason Holsman, a Kansas City Democrat, said he recognizes the chamber's power to subpoena, but that does not mean every subpoena is justified. The Senate's investigation is "political theater" based on a "false premise," he said, because the undercover videos were misleadingly edited and other investigations have already exonerated Planned Parenthood.
Chuck Hatfield, an attorney representing Planned Parenthood, has said the organization is open to releasing some of the records lawmakers subpoenaed. But he said many of the documents have nothing to do with the Senate's investigation, and he wants lawmakers to address those objections before turning over any records.
Planned Parenthood Action on Schaefer’s contemptible actions:
That’s exactly what could happen to Mary Kogut, CEO of Planned Parenthood of the St. Louis Region and Southwest Missouri. The ideologues in control of the Missouri State Senate have threatened her with contempt and jail time for refusing to share the private, personal medical information of patients at Planned Parenthood health centers.
Mary is fulfilling a promise to Planned Parenthood patients, to protect their health and privacy, no matter what. And they are saying they are going to punish her for it. They want to punish her for daring to stand up against petty politics and intimidation – for standing up for women.
The threats against Mary Kogut are part of a coordinated attack by ultraconservative lawmakers who want to block thousands of people in Missouri from accessing critical health care and Planned Parenthood services – especially low-income women, who often have nowhere else to turn for safe, quality care they can afford.
Kurt Schaefer and the Missouri GOP should be ashamed of themselves with this partisan gotcha garbage to defame Kogut, Planned Parenthood, reproductive rights, and women in general.
Hashtags: #ShameOnSchaefer, #StandWithPP, #SR1793