KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Abortion may soon be a crime in Missouri, but prosecutions aren’t anticipated in Kansas City.
Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker has all but guaranteed her office won’t bring abortion-related charges, saying she will use her prosecutorial discretion “to limit the erosion of reproductive rights.”
All abortions, except those required because of a medical emergency, will become illegal in Missouri under a 2019 state law that goes into effect if Roe v. Wade is overturned. A leaked draft majority opinion from the United States Supreme Court indicates the justices are poised to strike down the landmark 1973 decision that guaranteed the right to an abortion nationwide.
