Missouri lawmakers decided to override a veto of legislation that will require women to wait 72 hours after consulting with a doctor before ending a pregnancy.
About half of the states, including Missouri, already have abortion waiting periods of 24 hours. Missouri’s new law will be the second most-stringent behind South Dakota, where the 72-hour wait can sometimes extend even longer because weekends and holidays are not counted. Utah is the only other state with a 72-hour delay for an abortion, but it grants exceptions for rape, incest and other circumstances.
The vote by Missouri’s Republican-led legislature overrules the veto of Democratic Gov. Jay Nixon, who had denounced the measure as “extreme and disrespectful” toward women because it contains no exception for cases of rape or incest. Missouri lawmakers specifically rejected an amendment earlier this year that would have granted exceptions for rape and incest.
Missouri’s new waiting period law will take effect 30 days after the veto-override vote.
