In April 2023, the Missouri Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence (MOCADSV) launched an awareness campaign to educate Missourians of their rights under the Sexual Assault Survivors’ Bill of Rights (SASBR). These include the right to consult with an advocate of a rape crisis center, be offered a shower and fresh set of clothing, have an interpreter to help communicate, and more.
As part of the Know Your Rights campaign, MOCADSV printed and shipped hundreds of large informational posters to organizations throughout Missouri, each featuring diverse models and the abbreviated SASBR. The general public can order tabloid-sized copies of the Know Your Rights posters at the MOCADSV online store free of charge; these large posters are printed in-house at MOCADSV to ensure quality.
Acting on member agency feedback, MOCADSV also developed letter-size versions of the Know Your Rights posters, including variations translated in Spanish. These posters are available for download in full-color and black-and-white and can be printed on standard office printers.
Counterman V. Colorado
The Supreme Court of the United States decided in Counterman v. Colorado that the conviction of a Colorado man who received a four-and-a-half-year prison sentence for stalking would be thrown out. The implications of this court ruling will have impacts on how future stalking cases proceed, including jurisdictions requiring evidence that offenders understood the threatening nature of their communication.
Counterman was originally found guilty by the Colorado courts for stalking a singer-songwriter for several years. Some of his stalking tactics included sending unwanted messages over Facebook. These messages grew more threatening as the stalking continued. Counterman appealed the original case ruling and the Supreme Court found that the Colorado courts applied an incorrect test to the threats made by Counterman. SCOTUS decided that the Colorado courts needed to apply a recklessness standard. This type of standard would require evidence the speaker was aware recipients of their message would recognize the message as threats of violence and proceed to send anyway.
Stalking is defined in Missouri state statue as an individual engaging in conduct directed towards a specific person that would cause a reasonable person to be frightened, intimidated, or emotionally distressed under the circumstances of the individual’s actions. The law states that an individual has committed the offense of stalking in the first degree if they purposefully disturb another person with their actions. This conduct may include threats made that would cause a reasonable person to fear for their safety or physically following an individual with the intent of causing them distress.
Victims of stalking already have difficulty in creating viable cases due to existing tests of statements as threats. The requirement that evidence must prove the recklessness standard further creates barriers in the accessibility of legal protections for stalking victims.
Students for Fair Admissions, Inc. V. President and Fellows of Harvard College
The decision from the Supreme Court of the United States in the case Students for Fair Admissions, Inc. v. President and Fellows of Harvard College will remove the use of affirmative action in college admission practices. Affirmative action is used in college admissions to promote diversity within student bodies. Removing affirmative action practices within college admissions will ultimately have damaging impacts on victims of domestic and sexual violence.
Inequality and oppression are large factors of why women of color experience higher rates of domestic and sexual violence. Oppressive behaviors from higher education institutions often prevent women of color from achieving educational goals that may promote financial stability. Poverty doesn’t automatically equate to domestic and sexual violence, but it is a factor to enabled abuse. The lack of personal financial stability can also be used to prevent a victim from leaving an abusive relationship.
303 Creative v. Elenis
The Supreme Court decision in 303 Creative v. Elenis found it constitutional for a website designer to refuse to provide website designing services to a same-sex couple. This ruling allows business owners providing customized messaging services to refuse to do business with same-sex or other couples.
The decision from the Supreme Court promotes discrimination against LGBTQ+ individuals. The normalization of discrimination and inequality makes it difficult for LGBTQ+ people to find accessible resources, especially accessible legal resources. Though there are a variety of programs accessible to LGBTQ+ people, lack of support in legal decisions can further make resources feel inaccessible.
U.S. V. Rahimi
The United States Supreme Court will review the decision in the case U.S v. Rahimi which was tried in the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals. The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals sought to dismantle federal law prohibiting individuals under a protective order for domestic violence from possessing firearms. SCOTUS will have the opportunity to set national standards for the safety of domestic and sexual violence victims.
The conclusion from the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals that domestic violence offenders under protective orders have the constitutional right to possess a firearm is dangerous. Perpetrators of violent crime who possess a firearm are more likely to kill their partner than perpetrators who do not. The long-standing federal law protects domestic violence victims and should continue to do so.
The U.S. v. Rahimi case will be heard in the United States Supreme Court later this year.
New Missouri legislation will extend Medicaid postpartum care from 60 days to one year. Gov. Mike Parson signed SB45 on July 6, providing extended coverage for pregnant individuals. The extended time period will provide Medicaid users with the greater opportunity to receive treatment for a wide variety of health conditions. The extension of benefits will go into effect on August 28, 2023.
Under the current law, Medicaid benefits provided through Mo HealthNet for Pregnant Women or Show-Me Healthy Babies covers pregnant individuals throughout the pregnancy and 60 days after. Coverage provided in this 60-day window include any pregnancy-related health procedures or assessments.
With the updates to current state statutes, Missouri residents who qualify for Medicaid will be provided full Medicaid benefits throughout pregnancy and one year postpartum. The Missouri Medicaid recipients will continue to use the online portals to access healthcare coverage.
Medicaid is a low-cost or free health insurance option for low-income families and individuals. Individuals making up to $17,774 a year or families of four making up to $36,750 qualify for Medicaid through Mo HealthNet. The low-cost healthcare option provides coverage to thousands of Missourians, allowing for access to necessary health services.
The expansion of postpartum benefits is necessary to ensure healthcare coverage for individuals experiencing a wide variety of health conditions such as postpartum depression, hypertension, diabetes or other pregnancy-related complications. Full access to Medicaid benefits will also grant pregnant and postpartum individuals access to individual and group therapy options.
Extending postpartum Medicaid coverage from 60-days to one year was an MOCADSV public policy priority for the 2023 legislative session, and MOCADSV testified in support of this legislation.
