Establishes and modifies provisions relating to the definition of abortion
HB 3410 revises Missouri’s statutory definitions related to abortion. The bill repeals and reenacts sections 1.020 and 188.015 to expand and clarify the definition of “abortion” and related terms used throughout state law. It defines abortion as the use or prescription of any instrument, device, medicine, drug, or other means with the intent to destroy the life of an embryo or fetus, or to intentionally terminate a pregnancy for a purpose other than increasing the probability of a live birth or removing a dead unborn child.
The bill also specifies circumstances that are not considered abortions, including actions taken to save or preserve the unborn child’s life or health, remove a dead unborn child caused by miscarriage, remove an ectopic pregnancy, or perform a pre-viability separation procedure when necessary to save the pregnant woman’s life or prevent substantial or irreversible physical impairment. In addition, it adds or revises definitions for terms such as ectopic pregnancy, miscarriage, stillbirth, pregnancy, conception, medical emergency, physician, unborn child, viability, and abortion facility, and it introduces a definition of affiliate for abortion facilities.
HB 3410 would affect Missouri’s general statutory definitions and the abortion chapter by replacing existing language with broader and more detailed definitions. Because section 1.020 is a general definitions section used across the statutes, the bill could influence interpretation of the term “abortion” in multiple parts of state law, while section 188.015 would directly govern abortion-related regulation in chapter 188. The bill would likely affect physicians, abortion facilities, health care providers, and state regulators by tightening or clarifying when a procedure is legally treated as an abortion and by defining medical exceptions and related pregnancy terms.
Based on the bill text and its committee referral, the measure appears to be part of a broader abortion-policy effort and is framed in strongly pro-life definitional terms. There is no recorded vote or committee transcript in the provided materials, so no direct public debate is available here. The available context suggests the bill was introduced and referred to the House Children and Families Committee, indicating it was still in early committee consideration rather than having advanced through floor debate.
The main points of contention are likely to center on the bill’s expanded legal definitions of abortion, unborn child, viability, and pregnancy, as well as the scope of the exceptions for medical emergencies and pre-viability separation procedures. Supporters would likely view the bill as clarifying and standardizing abortion-related terminology and protecting unborn life, while opponents would likely object that the language broadens state control over reproductive health care and could create uncertainty for physicians treating miscarriages, ectopic pregnancies, or pregnancy complications. The inclusion of definitions such as “affiliate” and “abortion facility” may also raise concerns about regulatory reach over clinics and related entities.