![Missouri Senate approves bill banning abortions at eight weeks](https://www.jurist.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2018/08/Missouri_State_Capitol_-_panoramio_1.jpg)
The Missouri Senate on Thursday approved a bill that would ban most abortions after eight weeks of gestation.
The Missouri Bill contains exceptions for medical emergencies, but not for pregnancies caused by rape or incest. Doctors would also face five to 15 years in prison for violating the eight-week cutoff. The bill would also include adding recommendations for pregnant women based upon the state’s other resources: “There are public and private agencies willing and able to help you carry your child to term, and to assist you and your child after your child is born, whether you choose to keep your child or place him or her for adoption. The state of Missouri encourages you to contact those agencies before making a final decision about abortion. State law requires that your physician or a qualified professional give you the opportunity to call agencies like these before you undergo an abortion.”
Physicians would also be held to higher standards in regard to checking the unborn fetus for signs of a heartbeat: “a physician who fails to conduct a fetal heartbeat detection test prior to the performance or inducement of an abortion upon a pregnant woman shall, for each instance of failure, be subject to having his or her license or license application rejected.” The bill is expected to be approved Friday by the Missouri House before presentation to the governor.