Political Info and Laws in Brief
Executives
- Governor Jay Nixon (D) is mixed-choice.
Legislature
- The Missouri House is anti-choice.
- The Missouri Senate is anti-choice.
ANTI-CHOICE LAWSAbortion BanMissouri bans a safe abortion procedure. Biased Counseling & Mandatory DelayMissouri law subjects women seeking abortion services to biased-counseling requirements and mandatory delays. Counseling Ban/Gag RuleMissouri prohibits certain state employees and organizations receiving state funds from counseling or referring women for abortion services. Insurance Prohibition for AbortionMissouri restricts insurance coverage of abortion for all individuals. Other Anti-Choice LawMissouri law includes a strongly anti-choice policy statement. Public Facilities and Employees RestrictionMissouri prohibits the use of all public facilities and public employees for abortion services. Refusal to Provide Medical ServicesMissouri allows certain individuals or entities to refuse to provide women specific reproductive-health services, information, or referrals. Restrictions on Low-Income Women's Access to AbortionMissouri restricts low-income women's access to abortion. Restrictions on Young Women's Access to AbortionMissouri law restricts young women's access to abortion services by mandating parental consent. Targeted Regulation of Abortion Providers (TRAP)Missouri subjects abortion providers to burdensome restrictions not applied to other medical professionals.
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PRO-CHOICE LAWSContraceptive EquityMissouri law requires health-insurance plans that cover prescription medication to provide the same coverage for contraception. Low-Income Women's Access to Family PlanningMissouri provides certain low-income women increased coverage for Medicaid-funded family-planning services. |
OTHER RELEVANT LAWSPost-Viability Abortion RestrictionMissouri restricts post-viability abortion. |
Ballot Measures
Do voters ever decide on issues related to a woman's right to choose? In many states, the answer is yes. Anti-choice groups put measures on the ballot to advance their agenda.
Missouri
The Missouri legislature is considering sending two anti-choice ballot measures to voters. If the first measure passes, low-income women in the state would have abortion coverage only in cases of life endangerment – rape and incest survivors would no longer get coverage.
The second allows your boss or a corporation to refuse to provide coverage for any medical service by claiming a moral or religious objection. It is extremely broad and could make it very difficult for women to get reproductive-health services.
