JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) -- A Missouri lawmaker is trying again to require health inspections of abortion clinics.
State Sen. Wayne Wallingford has submitted legislation that would mandate the Department of Health and Senior Services conduct annual health inspections of certain abortion clinics.
The bill is scheduled to be introduced during the General Assembly session that begins in January.
If it passes, clinics that perform abortions for women in the second or third trimesters would be subject to inspection. Clinics that perform at least five first-trimester abortions each month also would be inspected.
The Republican senator from Cape Girardeau says the bill is intended to make abortions safer for Missouri women by ensuring procedures are conducted in clean facilities.
Wallingford introduced similar legislation last session that never made it to a full Senate vote.