Abortion in Missouri

Abortion pills by mail (telehealth)

Telehealth providers that ship abortion pills into Missouri, from the clinic database:

• A Safe ChoiceShips abortion pills by mail into Missouri
• AbuzzShips abortion pills by mail into Missouri
• Aid AccessShips abortion pills by mail into Missouri
• Cambridge Reproductive Health Consultants – The MAPShips abortion pills by mail into Missouri
• Choices RisingShips abortion pills by mail into Missouri
• Her Safe HarborShips abortion pills by mail into Missouri
• Southern WovenShips abortion pills by mail into Missouri
• We Take Care of UsShips abortion pills by mail into Missouri

Protections

• The state's constitution protects abortion.
• The state's lawmakers have not passed protections for abortion.

Bans

• Under current law, abortion is legal to provide until possible fetal viability - the point when a fetus might survive outside the uterus - with some exceptions. This is sometimes referred to as a "viability ban." This usually applies after about the first 24 weeks of pregnancy.
• Healthcare professionals in the state may be allowed to provide an abortion after the state's legal limit if it is necessary to save the pregnant person's life.
• Healthcare professionals in the state may be allowed to provide an abortion after the state's legal limit if it is necessary for the pregnant person's physical health (excluding mental health).
• It is a felony for providers to violate the state's restriction on providing an abortion, punishable by imprisonment and fines.
• State law prohibits healthcare professionals inside the state from providing an abortion using a specific method known as Dilation and Extraction (D&X). This is sometimes referred to as a "partial birth" abortion ban, although this term has no clinical definition.

Barriers

• The state requires a person to make 1 in-person visits before obtaining an abortion from a provider.
• The state requires healthcare professionals to perform an ultrasound, offer the patient an opportunity to view an ultrasound, or offer to perform an ultrasound before they provide an abortion.
• The state only allows doctors to provide abortions.

Minors

• State law requires healthcare professionals inside the state to meet certain requirements before providing an abortion to minors below the age of 18.
• Before providing an abortion to a minor inside the state, the state requires an abortion provider to get their parent or guardian's consent.
• Before providing an abortion to a minor inside the state, the state requires an abortion provider to notify their parent or guardian.
• The state allows a judge to excuse a minor from having to notify or get consent from their parent or guardian before having an abortion inside the state. This is referred to as "judicial bypass."
• Before providing an abortion to a minor, the state does not require an abortion provider to obtain specific documentation of their parent or guardian's consent or notification.

Telehealth

• The state allows healthcare professionals inside the state to provide medication abortion through telehealth only after the patient has had an in-person visit.

Insurance

• The state prohibits private insurance plans from covering abortion. Private insurance here refers to non-self-insured plans; self-insured plans are regulated by the federal government and state laws often do not apply to them.
• The state allows private insurance plans to cover abortion only in cases where abortion is necessary to save the pregnant person's life.
• The state prohibits exchange plans from covering abortion. Exchange plans are health insurance plans offered in the state's Health Care Exchange established under the federal Affordable Care Act.
• The state allows exchange insurance plans to cover abortion only in cases where abortion is necessary to save the pregnant person's life.
• Medicaid funds may pay for abortion in the state in cases of rape, incest, or when the pregnant person's life is endangered. This is the federal minimum requirement for Medicaid coverage of abortion.