Missouri Senators Consider Banning Abortions at 8 Weeks

Missouri senators are considering banning abortions at eight weeks of pregnancy.

Democrats in the Republican-led Senate on Wednesday slammed pending the legislation. Lawmakers have a Friday deadline to pass bills.

The only exception would be in cases of medical emergencies, not rape or incest.

The Missouri bill comes as abortion opponents across the U.S. push for new restrictions in hopes that the more conservative U.S. Supreme Court will overturn its landmark Roe v. Wade ruling legalizing abortion.

Kentucky, Mississippi, Ohio and Georgia have approved bans on abortion once a fetal heartbeat is detected, which can occur in about the sixth week of pregnancy. Alabama lawmakers sent the state’s Republican governor a similar bill Tuesday.