Missouri became the first state to implement a law to sharply restrict abortion in effect following the Supreme Court ruling overturning Roe v. Wade, according to state officials.
Attorney General Eric Schmitt, a candidate for the Republican Senate nomination, announced that he signed an opinion Friday morning activating the state’s trigger law shortly after the high court handed down its ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson.
“Following the SCOTUS ruling overturning Roe v. Wade, Missouri has just become the first in the country to effectively end abortion with our AG opinion signed moments ago. This is a monumental day for the sanctity of life,” Mr. Schmitt tweeted.
The 2019 Missouri law prohibits abortion after eight weeks’ gestation except in the case of a medical emergency.
Missouri Gov. Mike Parson declared that “Missouri has become the first state in the nation to effectively end abortions.”
“In response to today’s SCOTUS ruling overturning Roe v. Wade, I have signed a proclamation activating the ‘Right to Life of the Unborn Child Act,’ ending elective abortions in the State,” the Republican governor said in a statement.
Under the trigger law, medical practitioners who perform the procedure face felony charges, although the woman who undergoes an abortion “shall not be prosecuted for a conspiracy to violate the provisions of this section.”
🚨 BREAKING 🚨 Following the SCOTUS ruling overturning Roe v. Wade, Missouri has just become the first in the country to effectively end abortion with our AG opinion signed moments ago. This is a monumental day for the sanctity of life. pic.twitter.com/Jphy72R4rq
— Attorney General Eric Schmitt (@AGEricSchmitt) June 24, 2022
• Valerie Richardson can be reached at vrichardson@washingtontimes.com.
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