Missouri senators consider banning abortions at eight weeks

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Missouri Gov. Mike Parson on Wednesday called on state senators to take action on a bill to ban abortions at eight weeks of pregnancy, the latest GOP-dominated state emboldened by the possibility a more conservative Supreme Court could overturn its landmark ruling legalizing the procedure.

The Missouri proposal includes exceptions for medical emergencies, but not for pregnancies caused by rape or incest. Doctors would face five to 15 years in prison for violating the eight-week cutoff. Women who receive abortions at eight weeks or later into a pregnancy wouldn't be prosecuted.

Parson said the bill gives Missouri the chance to be "one of the strongest pro-life states in the country."

Senate Democrats launched into an attack on the bill before Republican supporters had a chance to bring it up for debate on the Senate floor. Lawmakers face a Friday deadline to pass legislation.

"So much of this bill is just shaming women into some kind of complacency that says we are vessels of pregnancy rather than understanding that women's lives all hold different stories," St. Louis-area Democratic Sen. Jill Schupp told colleagues.

"We cannot paint with a broad brush and interfere by putting a law forward that tells them what they can and cannot do."

Missouri is among several states where abortion opponents are working with renewed enthusiasm following President Donald Trump's appointment of more conservative high court justices. Kentucky, Mississippi, Ohio and Georgia have approved bans on abortion once a fetal heartbeat is detected, which can occur in about the sixth week of pregnancy. Similar restrictions in North Dakota and Iowa have been struck down in court.

Alabama's governor Wednesday signed the most stringent abortion ban in the nation, making performing an abortion a felony in nearly all cases.

Supporters say the Alabama bill is intentionally designed to conflict with the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion nationally in hopes of sparking a court case that might prompt the justices to revisit abortion rights.

Missouri's bill also includes an outright ban on abortions except in cases of medical emergencies. But that would kick in only if Roe v. Wade is overturned.

If courts don't allow Missouri's proposed eight-week ban to take effect, it includes a ladder of less-restrictive time limits ranging from 14 to 20 weeks. Roe v. Wade legalized abortion up until viability, usually at 22 to 24 weeks.

"This is not a piece of legislation that is designed for a challenge," Missouri's Republican House Speaker Elijah Haahr said. "This is the type of legislation that is designed to withstand a challenge and to actually save lives in our state."

Other provisions in the wide-ranging abortion bill include a ban on abortions based on race, sex or a "prenatal diagnosis, test or screening indicating Down Syndrome or the potential of Down Syndrome."

The bill also would require both parents be notified for a minor to get an abortion, with exceptions. Current law requires written consent from only one parent.

Although Republicans control the Senate, Democrats could continue to stall a vote using a filibuster. But that power is limited. Republicans can force a vote with a simple majority.