JEFFERSON CITY -- A Missouri Senate Committee today considered legislation sponsored by Sen. John Loudon, R-West St. Louis County, which would impose civil liability on any person violating Missouri's informed consent law by transporting a minor across state lines for an abortion.

"This is not an abortion rights issue, its a parental rights issue," said Sen. Loudon. "No one should be able to override a parent's wishes."

The Senate Judiciary and Civil and Criminal Jurisprudence Committee heard testimony on Senate Bill 34, which would allow a parent whose minor child is taken across state lines for an abortion, to sue the individual who transported the minor.

"No one, no matter what the circumstances, has the right to ignore the wishes of a parent," Sen. Loudon said. "By imposing civil liability on any person violating Missouri's informed consent law for abortion, we are warning these individuals that they may have to pay a high price for violating a parent's wishes."

Missouri lawmakers have wrestled with this issue for many years. In the state of Missouri, which shares a border with Illinois, a minor must have the consent of at least one parent in order to undergo an abortion procedure. In Illinois, however, is unique among its seven neighboring states in denying any rights to parents.

"It's ironic that schools must call a parent to get permission to give a child a Tylenol, but a stranger can take a girl across state lines for an abortion and not face any sort of penalty," said Sen. Loudon. "Abortion laws in Illinois completely undermine the authority of parents in Missouri."

Polls consistently show that the majority of Americans support legislation similar to the SB 34. A 1998 poll conducted by Baselice & Associates showed that 85 percent of Americans did not think that a person should be able to take a minor across state lines to obtain an abortion without her parents' knowledge.