With few in-state abortions, Missouri lawmakers look toward a post-Roe v. Wade future

As restrictions on accessing an abortion in Missouri have steadily tightened, nearly 9,800 Missourians travelled to Kansas and Illinois to receive abortions in 2020, compared to only 167 procedures that occurred within state lines that year.

That number could drop even further if the U.S. Supreme Court overturns the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion — causing a Missouri law to kick in that would ban the procedure except in medical emergencies.

And after years of limiting access to abortion in Missouri, lawmakers are now eyeing policy for a world in which the constitutional protections for the procedure are no more.

“Nationally, everybody is looking to a post-Roe world,” said Rep. Mary Elizabeth Coleman, R-Arnold. “In Missouri, we’re almost already there.”

https://news.stlpublicradio.org/2022-04-09/with-few-in-state-abortions-missouri-lawmakers-look-toward-a-post-roe-v-wade-future