Overview

• Missouri Republicans have proposed legislation that would allow women who receive abortions to be charged with murder, a measure that goes beyond any state's current pro-life laws.
• The proposed bills would apply homicide laws to women who receive an abortion on behalf of a victim who is an 'unborn child at every stage of development', with exceptions for cases of coercion, threat, or life-saving measures for the woman.
• Missouri is one of 14 states with bans in effect on abortions at all stages of pregnancy, with limited exceptions.
• Two groups are attempting to have measures put on ballots in Missouri in 2024 to legalize abortion in more cases, one allowing abortion access during the first 24 weeks of pregnancy and the other, proposed by moderate Republicans, scaling back restrictions to a lesser extent.
• Similar legislation allowing women to be charged for having an abortion was introduced earlier this year in Missouri and in other states, including Arkansas, Colorado, Georgia, Kentucky and South Carolina, but none were advanced by a legislative committee.