House passes bill requiring abortion waiting period

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- The Missouri House overwhelmingly approved new restrictions on abortion Thursday with a bill requiring women to wait 24 hours after consulting a doctor before being able to get an abortion.

The bill, sent to the Senate on a 112-33 vote, would require a doctor and the woman to sign a statement that the doctor had discussed all the risks and "situational" factors associated with the procedure.

As part of that statement, a woman would have to agree she had not been coerced into having an abortion.

Rep. Susan Phillips, who sponsored the bill, said about 12,000 are performed in Missouri each year, and some women do not get the chance to speak to a doctor before the procedure.

Phillips, R-Kansas City, said 15 other states have similar laws requiring a waiting period for an abortion. She also said there have been studies linking abortion to increased risks of breast cancer and suicide.

But Rep. Vicky Riback Wilson said there was no connection between abortion and cancer.

"The bill purports to be about getting honest information," said Wilson, D-Columbia. "I think it is somewhat misleading to talk about a link between abortion and breast cancer."

Advisers to the National Cancer Institute said last week that no connection has been proven between abortion and cancer. The institute said it would soon adopt the same position.