Voters Nationwide Oppose a Missouri Bill That Would Punish Residents Seeking Abortions Out of the State
By Sabrina Jacobs
Missouri lawmakers have introduced a bill that would allow private citizens to sue anyone who helps a Missouri resident obtain an abortion out of state.
New Data for Progress polling finds 67 percent of voters nationwide oppose such a proposal — including Republicans by a -10-point margin, Independents by a -47-point margin, and Democrats by a -67-point margin.
The Missouri legislature has a history of supporting anti-abortion legislation; in 2019 it passed a law which banned abortions after eight weeks — including in the cases of rape or incest. The law was later overturned in federal court. State Representative Mary Elizabeth Coleman has been attempting to restrict access to out-of-state abortions since a Planned Parenthood clinic opened near the Illinois-Missouri border that same year.
Should the most recent proposal from the Missouri legislature become law, anti-abortion lawmakers elsewhere would be emboldened to restrict residents from seeking safe care outside their states. Voters nationwide strongly oppose such anti-abortion efforts. Congress must work swiftly to defend reproductive rights by taking steps to protect abortion access and by codifying Roe v. Wade into law.
Sabrina Jacobs is a Digital Fellow at Data for Progress
Survey Methodology