JEFFERSON CITY — A bipartisan pair of bills banning courts from considering pregnancy as a reason to deny a divorce passed in the Senate by a vote of 29-0 Tuesday.

House bills 1908 and 2337 are sponsored by Rep. Cecelie Williams, R-Dittmer, and Rep. Raychel Proudie, D-Ferguson, respectively. In her statements to both the House and Senate Committees on Families, Seniors and Health, Williams spoke about her experience as a survivor of domestic violence and her inability to get a divorce while she was pregnant.

Under current Missouri law, a judge can delay granting a divorce if a woman is pregnant. The combined bills would prevent judges from taking pregnancy into account when deciding whether to grant a divorce.

Sen. Jill Carter, R-Newton, carried Williams’ bill forward in the Senate and thanked Williams for sharing her story with the Senate Committee on Families, Seniors and Health.

“We have this tremendous bill coming before us. One that, I think, spans the political divide in our state,” Carter said on the Senate floor Tuesday. “This is one piece of legislation, I think, that we are all excited to see get across the finish line.”

The bill passed unanimously on both the House floor on Feb. 12 and in the Senate Committee on Families, Seniors and Health on Monday. All senators present for the vote on Tuesday unanimously voted to pass the bill.

A similar bill, also sponsored by Williams, almost passed last year but died when the General Assembly adjourned ahead of schedule.

Carter expressed support for the bill not only because of its protections for women but also as an opportunity to prevent abortions in Missouri.

“In my opinion, it is a very pro-life bill where it would allow a woman to not feel compelled to get an abortion simply because she is married and seeking a divorce in cases of violence,” Carter said.

The bill now heads to the governor’s desk to be signed into law.