Missouri Becomes First State to Effectively End Abortion

On Friday, June 24, in a landmark decision by the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS), Roe v. Wade was overturned. This is a major victory for the pro-life movement, and it is the result of decades of hard work to reverse this decision since it was decided nearly 50 years ago. Immediately upon the ruling this morning, Missouri also became the first state in the country to end abortions.

I am proud to have spent the last fourteen years fighting to save unborn children and protect their right to life. I have sponsored many pro-life bills during my time as a state legislator and was even the Senate handler for House Bill 126 (2019), the “Missouri Stands for the Unborn Act,” also known as the “Heartbeat Bill.”

The provisions in HB 126 made Missouri one of the strongest pro-life states in the country. This legislation banned abortion at eight weeks of gestation or later and included a trigger to ban all abortions, except in cases of a medical emergency, if Roe v. Wade was overturned.

Shortly after SCOTUS’ decision Friday morning, the governor issued a proclamation and the attorney general issued an opinion affirming the abortion ban, making Missouri the first state to outlaw nearly all abortions. Missouri is one of more than a dozen states with a trigger law.

I am proud of the hard work my colleagues and I have done each session to protect life and stand up for the unborn. I believe societies are judged on how they treat their most vulnerable citizens, and I will always fight on behalf of unborn children and their fundamental right to life.