We’ve, unfortunately, become inured to state governments demanding special rules and regulations when it comes to Planned Parenthood, or other organizations that help women avoid unintended pregnancy, that may also provide abortions. Just the fact that the group provides some women somewhere with safe abortion care — even if such care is not provided at a particular affiliate and, although by law is never done with tax payer money — allows the local governments to feel completely justified in overseeing and approving their every move.

But now Missouri is proposing the complete opposite when it comes to the state’s “abortion alternatives” centers, more commonly referred to as crisis pregnancy centers.  In a completely unprecedented move, the state House is advocating a bill that will make it so local governments cannot “interfere” with these centers — even as a means to address issues of deception, false medical claims, and other coercive methods to convince women to continue their pregnancies (and often, develop a relationship with Jesus Christ).

Bill sponsor Chuck Gatschenberger says there isn’t a specific problem at this time, but he’s just trying to help the centers avoid potential legal expenses down the road, just in case.  “But what it has to do with is just setting it up, so crisis pregnancy centers don’t have to use their legal money, that’s all volunteer, everything they do is free, to buy lawyers,” Gatschenberger said to KBIA.com.

Demanding to be protected from local oversight and potential legal battles, especially when many centers both use state and federal taxpayer dollars and often pursue a religious agenda while operating their “clinics,” is a completely new tactic in the anti-choice arsenal, but shouldn’t be surprising. After all, isn’t this just the next logical step after states started passing laws saying a doctor can lie to a woman if he believes telling her the truth about her pregnancy might lead her to terminate that pregnancy?

So now they are offering legal protection for medical malpractice, all in the name of stopping abortion.