June 25, 2022
Missouri became the first state to outlaw abortions Friday morning following a 5-4 Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, the landmark ruling that established abortion as a right protected under the Constitution.
Missouri was one of over a dozen states with “trigger laws” in place, which would effectively ban abortions if precedent set by Roe v. Wade was ever overturned.
According to a release issued by Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmidt Friday morning, any abortion in the state of Missouri, regardless of the pregnancy’s duration, is illegal. The law grants an exception only for cases of medical emergency, but not cases of rape or incest. This makes Missouri’s ban among the most restrictive in the country. Other states with trigger laws in place, such as Utah and Wyoming, make abortions illegal except in cases of rape, incest or serious risk of death or harm to the pregnant person.
“Today, following the United States Supreme Court’s ruling that overturned Roe v. Wade … my Office has effectively ended abortion in Missouri, becoming the first state in the country to do so following the Court’s ruling,” Schmidt wrote in the release. “My Office has been fighting to uphold the sanctity of life since I became attorney general, culminating in today’s momentous court ruling and attorney general opinion. I will continue the fight to protect all life, born and unborn.”
Gov. Mike Parson (R-MO) also signed a proclamation activating Missouri’s trigger law, the “Right to Life of the Unborn Child Act,” making the act of performing an abortion outside a medical emergency punishable by 5 to 15 years in prison (a class B felony). Medical professionals who perform abortions can now lose their medical license.
This Supreme Court ruling also opens avenues for reexamination and potential overturning of cases guaranteeing the rights to same-sex marriage (Obergefell v. Hodges), consensual same-sex sexual relations (Lawrence v. Texas), interracial marriage (Loving v. Virginia) and contraception (Griswold v. Connecticut). The rulings in the aforementioned cases, as well as Roe v. Wade, are rooted in the right to due process found in the Fifth and 14th Amendments of the Constitution.
While Justice Samuel Alito Jr. and Justice Brett Kavanaugh write in their opinion and concurrence that the decision to overturn abortion as a constitutional right will not endanger other precedents, Justice Clarence Thomas writes in his concurrence that the previously mentioned cases should be revisited.
Thomas emphasizes that the due process clause “does not secure any substantive rights,” and “for that reason, in future cases, we should reconsider all of this Court’s substantive due process precedents, including Griswold, Lawrence and Obergefell.”
Eva Ewing, MU freshman and lifelong Columbia resident, gave her thoughts on the recent ruling.
“I was surprised, but not really,” Ewing said. “Men already control so much of women’s lives and women’s bodies … Missouri has already done a lot so far to get rid of Planned Parenthoods and get rid of abortion clinics here. It’s just sad because there’s not even a chance now that one could be brought back.”
“But I would hope that on campus Mizzou Health Care, if someone were to come asking for assistance, that they would help them find the closest option [for care],” she said. “But honestly, I don’t expect much.”
The MU Women’s Center declined to comment on the ruling.
“Today is the worst-case scenario for 36 million people of reproductive age,” Yamelsie Rodríguez, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood of the St. Louis Region and Southwest Missouri, wrote in a statement. “From this day on, we cannot accept compromise, middle ground, or ‘good enough.’ We must demand a system that creates abortion access for all people who need it, no matter their identity, insurance status or ZIP code.”
Boone County District Representative Martha Stevens posted a tweet detailing a protest set for 5 p.m. on Saturday outside the Boone County Courthouse.
Information on the times and dates of more protests statewide can be found on the Planned Parenthood affiliates’ social media platforms including Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
As there was only one clinic performing abortions in Missouri prior to the ban, residents often traveled to border states Kansas and Illinois for procedures.
- In 2020, a total of 6,578 Missouri residents made up the majority of out-of-state abortions performed in Illinois, according to the Illinois Department of Public Health.
- Last year, 3,458 Missouri residents received abortions in Kansas, making up 44% of all abortions performed in Kansas last year.
On Aug. 2, Kansas voters will vote on the “Value Them Both” amendment. If passed, the amendment would overturn a 2019 Kansas Supreme Court ruling that upheld the right to an abortion under the state’s Bill of Rights.
Any action taken by Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker could potentially affect access to abortion for those living in bordering states where abortion is banned, including Missouri. Following the Supreme Court’s decision Friday, Pritzker called for a special session on reproductive rights.
While remain Illinois delegates are divided over next steps, Pritzker released a statement outlining plans to ensure and expand abortion access in the state.
“In Illinois, we will hold firm to these rights and continue to work with stakeholders to expand them,” Pritzker wrote.
Many abortion rights activists pledge to continue fighting for abortion access in the wake of the Supreme Court’s decision and Missouri’s subsequent abortion ban. Rep. Cori Bush, D-Mo., wrote in a statement:
“We will continue to organize. We will protest. We will keep fighting because abortion care is health care. We will not stop until we ensure that every person has access to the health care that they need.”
Likewise, Planned Parenthood, the leading provider of reproductive health services in the U.S., affirmed it will continue to offer services and support those in need of an abortion. In response to the Supreme Court decision, the organization released a comprehensive guide including information on locating providers and services, as well as financial and transportation assistance.
In a statement provided to Newsweek, Alexis McGill Johnson, the president of the Planned Parenthood Action Fund, said, “Due to centuries of racism and systemic discrimination, we already know who will feel the consequences of this horrific decision most acutely: Black, Latino, and Indigenous communities, people with disabilities, those living in rural areas, young people, immigrants and those having difficulties making ends meet.”
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