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Republican lawmakers in the Missouri Senate on Wednesday voted down amendments to the state’s near-total abortion ban that would allow exceptions for cases of incest and rape.
Since June 2022, Missouri has permitted abortions only in medical emergencies. The Democratic amendments were a longshot in the GOP-led Senate, with every Republican present ultimately voting against the change.
Democratic state Sen. Tracy McCreery had asked her colleagues to “show an ounce of compassion” for the victims of rape and incest. “What we’re saying is, ‘We don’t care,’” McCreery said of the state’s current abortion law, according to the Associated Press. “We’re going to force you to give birth, even if that pregnancy resulted from forcible rape by a family member, a date, an ex-husband or a stranger.”