Bill > HB848

This bill modifies Missouri state law regarding divorce and legal separation proceedings by explicitly stating that pregnancy status cannot prevent a court from entering a judgment of dissolution of marriage or legal separation. The bill amends sections 452.305 and 452.310 of the Missouri Revised Statutes to clarify that a woman's pregnancy cannot be a barrier to obtaining a divorce or legal separation. Specifically, the bill requires that in the petition for divorce or legal separation, the parties must still disclose whether the wife is pregnant, but this status cannot be used to prevent the court from proceeding with the dissolution or separation. The bill maintains existing requirements for divorce and legal separation proceedings, such as residency requirements, considerations of child custody and support, and the need to demonstrate that the marriage is either irretrievably broken (for divorce) or potentially salvageable (for legal separation). Additionally, the bill requires that judgments include the last four digits of the parties' Social Security numbers, while keeping full Social Security number information on file in a protected manner.

https://house.mo.gov/Bill.aspx?bill=HB848&year=2025&code=R