A Republican state lawmaker in Missouri has introduced legislation that would create a “central registry” of pregnant people[…]
Republican state Rep. Phil Amato largely deferred questions about his “Save MO Babies Act” during a Children and Families Committee hearing to Gerard Harms, an adoption attorney who wrote the bill

“We’re looking at something like e-Harmony for babies — mothers who want to put up their children need to match with prospective parents,” Harms told the committee Tuesday. “That’s exactly what the intent of this is. Against, inartfully drafted”

Harms said participation is voluntary and would comply with all federal health privacy laws

But skeptical state lawmakers and abortion rights advocates have raised alarms about data privacy[…]
Mallory Schwarz, executive director of Abortion Action Missouri, said the legislation is a reminder of prior attempts from state officials to “track and surveil” pregnant people in the state[…]
“The flippant and disturbing remarks heard today about establishing ‘e-Harmony for babies’ encouraging prospective families to shop for children should ring alarm bells for everyone,” Schwarz said in a statement to The Independent

“No pregnant person, no child is off the table for anti-abortion politicians to exploit in order to further their own power and control over our bodies, families, and futures”[…]
His legislation would require the Division of Maternal and Child Resources within the state’s state’s Department of Social Services “to make and maintain a central registry of each expecting mother who is at risk for seeking an abortion and a central registry of each prospective adoptive parent who has successfully completed certain screenings, background checks, home studies, and other investigations to ensure the fit of the prospective parent to adopt a child”[…]
The legislation follows a state court ruling that blocks restrictions on abortion access[…], marking a major victory for abortion rights