Missouri Republicans declined to advance a bill on Tuesday that would abolish abortion in the state, with many of the Republicans voting “present” rather than voting against the legislation.

Missouri Republican State Representative Justin Sparks and Missouri Republican State Representative Burt Whaley submitted the Missouri Prenatal Equal Protection Act. The proposal would establish equal protection of the laws for preborn children in Missouri, thereby applying the homicide and assault laws that already protect born people to also protect preborn people, according to a release from the Foundation to Abolish Abortion.

The bill would have also nullified Amendment 3, a ballot measure passed by voters to enshrine abortion into the state constitution, possibly enabling a court battle against the new provision, which denies equal protection to preborn babies as required by the Fourteenth Amendment.

But members of the Missouri House Children and Families Committee, the majority of whom are Republicans, failed to provide a “do pass” vote for the Missouri Prenatal Equal Protection Act. While three members voted in favor, seven voted against the measure and five voted “present.”

Josh Holler, the lead pastor of First Baptist Church in St. John, Missouri, testified for the Missouri Prenatal Equal Protection Act and voiced disappointment in the failure of the bill.

Holler commented to The Sentinel that he was “not sure why the pro-life Republicans chose to vote ‘present’ instead of in favor,” observing that merely “voting ‘present’ is a practical vote for the opposition” which “lacks courage and conviction” rather than taking a stand on the issue.