JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Increased parental consent would be necessary for minors to terminate a pregnancy in Missouri under a bill debated Tuesday in a House committee.

After hearing testimony from both sides, the House Committee on Children and Families didn't vote on the measure requiring the parent of a minor seeking an abortion to provide written notification to the other "custodial parent or guardian." Under current law, a physician must get informed written consent from one parent or guardian.

Sponsored by Rep. Rocky Miller, R-Lake Ozark, the bill is the first of several abortion-related measures Republicans have filed this year to get an airing in the House, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported.

Sam Lee, president of Campaign Life Missouri, said parents "have the right and obligation to know what's going on with their children." He questioned what would happen if the minor had an adverse reaction to medication used during the abortion or suffered from heavy bleeding because of problems with a surgical abortion.

But M'Evie Mead, Missouri director of organizing for Planned Parenthood, said not all teenagers come from homes where they can speak openly with both parents.

There would be some exceptions to this change, such as a parent or guardian who is a sex offender or has been found guilty of child abuse.

Despite those exceptions, Mead said some teens could be facing violent or abusive relationships, she said, and can trust only one parent with an unplanned pregnancy.

"I don't think this bill would do anything to further the health and safety of teens in state," Mead said. "It could put them in danger."