Effective - 28 Aug 2019
188.056. Abortion prohibited after eight weeks gestational age, exception for medical emergency — violation, penalty — severability clause. — 1. Notwithstanding any other provision of law to the contrary, no abortion shall be performed or induced upon a woman at eight weeks gestational age or later, except in cases of medical emergency. Any person who knowingly performs or induces an abortion of an unborn child in violation of this subsection shall be guilty of a class B felony, as well as subject to suspension or revocation of his or her professional license by his or her professional licensing board. A woman upon whom an abortion is performed or induced in violation of this subsection shall not be prosecuted for a conspiracy to violate the provisions of this section.
2. It shall be an affirmative defense for any person alleged to have violated the provisions of subsection 1 of this section that the person performed or induced an abortion because of a medical emergency. The defendant shall have the burden of persuasion that the defense is more probably true than not.
3. Prosecution under this section shall bar prosecution under section* 188.057, 188.058, or 188.375 if prosecution under such sections would violate the provisions of Amendment V to the Constitution of the United States or Article I, Section 19 of the Constitution of Missouri.
4. If any one or more provisions, subsections, sentences, clauses, phrases, or words of this section or the application thereof to any person, circumstance, or period of gestational age is found to be unenforceable, unconstitutional, or invalid by a court of competent jurisdiction, the same is hereby declared to be severable and the balance of the section shall remain effective notwithstanding such unenforceability, unconstitutionality, or invalidity. The general assembly hereby declares that it would have passed this section, and each provision, subsection, sentence, clause, phrase, or word thereof, irrespective of the fact that any one or more provisions, subsections, sentences, clauses, phrases, or words of the section, or the application of the section to any person, circumstance, or period of gestational age, would be declared unenforceable, unconstitutional, or invalid.
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(L. 2019 H.B. 126)
*Word "sections" appears in original rolls.
Structure Missouri Revised Statutes
Title XII - Public Health and Welfare
Chapter 188 - Regulation of Abortions
Section 188.010 - Intent of general assembly.
Section 188.015 - Definitions.
Section 188.018 - Severability clause.
Section 188.020 - Physician, required to perform.
Section 188.023 - Reports of rape or under age eighteen sexual abuse, required to report, how.
Section 188.025 - Hospital required, when.
Section 188.028 - Minors, abortion requirements and procedure.
Section 188.035 - Death of child aborted alive deemed murder in second degree, when.
Section 188.037 - Experimentation with fetus, or child aborted alive, prohibited, exception.
Section 188.043 - Medical malpractice insurance required to perform an abortion.
Section 188.055 - Forms to be supplied to health facilities and physicians.
Section 188.060 - Records to be retained for seven years.
Section 188.065 - Revocation of license, when.
Section 188.070 - Breach of confidentiality prohibited.
Section 188.100 - Definitions.
Section 188.115 - Severability clause.
Section 188.130 - No cause of action for wrongful life.
Section 188.160 - Whistleblower protection policy, required when — rulemaking authority.
Section 188.200 - Definitions.
Section 188.205 - Use of public funds prohibited, when.
Section 188.210 - Public employees, activities prohibited, when.
Section 188.215 - Use of public facilities prohibited, when.
Section 188.220 - Taxpayer standing to bring suit, when, where.