Missouri Voters to Decide Whether Women Should be 'Allowed' to Control Their Own Bodies

Add Missouri to the list of states with plans to ban abortions, even in cases of rape or incest:

A state senator filed a bill on Wednesday to ban abortions in Missouri, aiming to spark a court fight that he hopes will lead to the reversal of the Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision.

The proposal by Sen. Jason Crowell, R-Cape Girardeau, would ban all abortions except those deemed necessary to save the life of a pregnant woman. Crowell also filed a separate proposal to put an abortion ban on the November ballot as a referendum.

The Missouri Legislature has passed numerous provisions to curtail abortions through a 24-hour waiting period and tighter restrictions on parental consent laws for minors seeking abortions. But in proposing an all-out ban, this bill goes farther, and it's unclear what kind of support it will receive.

Alison Gee, political director for Planned Parenthood of the St. Louis Region, said her group would likely challenge the proposal.

"We know that the majority of Missourians think that abortion should be safe and legal, and this goes directly against that," Gee said.