Missouri implements 72-hour wait period for abortions

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo., Sept. 11 (UPI) -- Missouri legislators implemented one of the most restrictive U.S. abortion laws Wednesday, requiring women to wait 72 hours before terminating a pregnancy.

Democratic Gov. Jay Nixon vetoed the law, but the legislature overruled his decision with a vote. The law requires women to wait 72 hours after consulting a doctor before having an abortion and leaves no exceptions for rape or incest. Advocates for the law said it demeans the value of a life based on how it was conceived.

Nixon vetoed the measure based on reasoning that the law was "extreme and disrespectful" toward women.

The law is only second to South Dakota in its restrictions. In South Dakota, waits can be longer than three days because they do not count weekends or holidays as part of the wait period. Utah has a 72-hour wait period but has exceptions for rape, incest and other circumstances like medical urgency. Twenty-six states require some type of wait period -- most 24 hours -- before the procedure can be performed.

If "you get a couple of more days to think about this pregnancy, think about where it's going, you may change your mind" about having an abortion, said state Rep. Kathie Conway, R-St. Charles.

Opposition to the law says it is just window dressing to shame women into not having an abortion and make it more difficult for them to terminate a pregnancy.

"It's designed to demean and shame a woman in an effort to change her mind," said state Rep. Judy Morgan, D-Kansas City.