St. Louis, Mo., May 28, 2019 / 13:19 pm
Banning abortion after eight weeks of pregnancy is a "giant step forward for the pro-life movement," Archbishop Robert J. Carlson of St. Louis said in a statement on Friday, after Governor Mike Parson signed an abortion ban into law.
Parson signed the "Missouri Stands for the Unborn Act," which criminalizes performing abortions after eight weeks in the state, except when the life of a mother is determined to be in danger.
The law criminalizes the performance of abortions or the prescribing of medical abortions, punishable as a Class B felony, for doctors and medical professionals. It does not penalize women who obtain abortions. Class B felonies are punishable by 5-15 years in prison in the state of Missouri.
"In recognition that Almighty God is the author of life, that all men and women are 'endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life', and that...the Constitution of Missouri provides that all persons have a natural right to life, it is the intention of the general assembly of the state of Missouri to: (1) Defend the right to life of all humans, born and unborn; (2) Declare that the state and all of its political subdivisions are a 'sanctuary of life' that protects pregnant women and their unborn children; and (3) Regulate abortion to the full extent permitted by the Constitution of the United States, decisions of the United States Supreme Court, and federal statutes," the act states.