Bill > HB1417

This bill establishes the "Missouri Prenatal Equal Protection Act", which aims to legally recognize and protect unborn children from the moment of fertilization. The bill repeals and replaces several existing legal sections to expand legal protections for unborn children, effectively treating them as persons under the law. Key provisions include acknowledging the "sanctity of innocent human life", defining a person as including an unborn child at every stage of development from fertilization, and modifying legal statutes to extend criminal and civil protections to unborn children. The bill allows prosecution of offenses against unborn children across multiple counties, provides specific medical exceptions for procedures intended to save a pregnant woman's life, and creates new legal definitions that recognize unborn children as having equal legal status to born persons. The bill includes provisions to protect pregnant mothers from being pressured to have an abortion and explicitly states its intent to "abolish abortion in this state". Notably, the bill is subject to voter approval in a referendum election scheduled for August 2026 and would only apply to offenses or causes of action arising after its effective date. The proposed legislation fundamentally seeks to provide legal personhood and protection to unborn children from the moment of fertilization.

Health and Social Services

https://house.mo.gov/Bill.aspx?bill=HB1417&year=2025&code=R