GOP bill in Missouri would funnel more tax money to anti-abortion pregnancy centers

Freshman Missouri state Rep. Christopher Warwick (R-Bolivar) introduced a bill last month that will allow residents to avoid paying any state income taxes if they donate to anti-abortion pregnancy resource centers.

If passed into law, House Bill 1176 would allow up to a 100% tax credit capped at $50,000 per taxpayer for those who redirect their tax bill to crisis pregnancy centers. Missouri already offers a similar 70% credit, which went into effect in 2021. However, the new bill could allow millions of public tax dollars — used to fund things like health care, transportation services and fire departments — to instead be funneled into the pregnancy centers.

These centers are known to mislead women with unethical data and information to persuade them out of getting an abortion.

Warwick did not respond to a request to comment on how this bill would help the state of Missouri at-large. ProPublica reported that supporters of the bill say it will give taxpayers more control of where their money goes and help give pregnant women alternatives to abortion.

In a statement to ProPublica, reproductive rights lawyer Katie Baylie called the bill an insult to Missourians.

“A 70 percent tax credit with no cap was excessive. A 100 percent tax credit is absurd. It is an insult to Missourians that our lawmakers are spending time even considering this bill,” Baylie said.

Abortion providers in Missouri resumed offering the procedure last month after voters approved a constitutional amendment to protect reproductive rights last November. Despite the vote, the Missouri Republican Party has been attempting to find workarounds by introducing controversial legislation. One bill would create what the author described as “eHarmony for babies” and direct the state government to create a database to track pregnant women “at risk of seeking an abortion.”