By JORDAN SHAPIRO
Associated Press
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) -- Democratic Gov. Jay Nixon raised concerns Thursday about a bill that would triple the amount of time Missouri women must wait for an abortion, one day after the Republican-led Legislature sent it to his desk.
Nixon called the measure to impose a 72-hour timeframe between a woman's initial doctor visit and the procedure an "extreme proposal." He criticized lawmakers for not including an exemption for victims of rape and incest.
"I have profound concerns about its impact on women and especially the victims of these heinous crimes," the governor said in a written statement.
Nixon did not say whether he would veto the measure and added that he was continuing to review the bill. He has previously allowed other abortion restrictions to become law without his signature, including a measure last year that requires doctors to be in the room for the initial dose of a drug used in medical abortions.
Missouri's current one-day waiting period doesn't include a rape and incest exemption. Like current law, the bill would exclude medical emergencies from the waiting period.
Republicans argue the longer waiting period gives women more time to consider the consequences of an abortion. An attempt to include an exemption for rape and incest was defeated on the Senate floor during debate on the bill earlier this month.
"Why should the baby suffer a penalty, a death that they did nothing to deserve simply because of the circumstances?" asked Rep. Keith Frederick, a Republican from the central Missouri town of Rolla.
Nixon said the measure would set Missouri apart from all but one other state in restricting abortion. Utah and South Dakota, have three-day abortion waiting periods, but Utah's waiting period does not apply when a woman becomes pregnant because of rape or incest, or when she is younger than 14.
Missouri's proposal would mirror South Dakota's when it comes to excluding exemptions. But under South Dakota's law, weekends and holidays don't count toward the 72-hour waiting period.
Missouri's bill would need a two-thirds majority vote in the House and Senate to override a potential veto. It cleared the House with a 111-39 vote, three more than the minimum veto-override threshold. Nine of Nixon's fellow Democrats joined House Republicans in support of the bill.
The legislation was one vote shy of a two-thirds majority in the Senate, but one Republican senator was absent for the vote.
Abortion is HB1307
Online:
Legislature: http://www.moga.mo.gov