JEFFERSON CITY, MISSOURI — Fifteen months after voters approved a constitutional right to abortion, Missouri Republicans are advancing new legislation aimed at limiting access and reshaping the legal landscape around reproductive rights.
Lawmakers have introduced bills expanding criminal penalties for physicians who perform abortions and civil penalties for those assisting with medication abortion. A “Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act,” one of the first measures to clear the Missouri House this session, would require life-saving care for infants born after attempted abortions and allow severe penalties for providers who fail to comply. Supporters call it a safeguard; critics argue such cases are exceedingly rare and already covered under existing law.
Other proposals seek to establish fetal personhood, potentially classifying abortion as homicide. State Rep. Darin Chappell said the measure could prompt U.S. Supreme Court review, while Democrats warned it could criminalize women and disrupt laws governing IVF, taxation and child support.
A separate bill would require public schools offering sex education to teach fetal development and show ultrasound footage, framing abortion as ending the life of a “genetically distinct human being.”
Abortion remains legal in Missouri, though procedural services are limited to three clinics and medication abortion faces regulatory challenges pending court review.
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