Since a leaked Supreme Court decision that could affect abortion rights circulated last week, we’ve heard from readers concerned about Missouri’s “trigger” law that would ban nearly all abortions in the state.
Rumors have been circulating online that the state’s ban — which could go into effect as soon as Roe v. Wade is overturned — could also outlaw forms of birth control like the “morning after pill” and intrauterine devices (IUDs). There are also concerns it could impact in-vitro fertilization (IVF).
Even former Missouri Democratic senator Claire McCaskill tweeted about Plan B potentially becoming illegal.
But while many are speculating what a post-Roe world could look like, current legislation does not explicitly outlaw any forms of contraception or family planning beyond abortion. Here are the facts.
Would Missouri’s trigger ban outlaw birth control and “Plan B”?
Abortion rights advocates in Missouri say no. The 2019 bill, which contains the “trigger ban” clause, does not directly mention pregnancy prevention. That means that birth control pills and emergency contraceptives like the “morning-after pill” would not be immediately affected.
“Since birth control prevents pregnancy (and does not end an existing pregnancy), overturning #Roe will not block access to birth control,” wrote the Missouri-based Planned Parenthood of the St. Louis Region (PPSLR) on Twitter.
The Missouri abortion bill deals only with restricting abortion for those who are already pregnant.
Preventing yourself or your partner from becoming pregnant in the first place is a right that all Missourians will continue to enjoy — unless lawmakers propose future bills restricting those practices, according to Missouri abortion rights groups.
We’ll stay on this story and let you know if legislators propose further bans.
Is Missouri going after in-vitro fertilization or IVF?
No. This common fertility treatment is not currently under fire from Missouri lawmakers, and would not be impacted if Roe v. Wade was overturned and the state’s “trigger ban” went into effect, local abortion rights advocates say.
Missouri’s abortion ban does not include any language about IVF.
“Current Missouri abortion law does NOT jeopardize… fertility care (IVF), and neither do any of the bans we’re currently watching in #MoLeg,” the abortion rights group Pro-Choice Missouri wrote on Twitter.
The Star’s politics team is keeping a close eye on bills introduced in the state legislature, and we will report on any threats to your family planning decisions as we learn more. For now, though, IVF and other fertility treatments are not in clear danger.
Where are these rumors about birth control, Plan B and IVF coming from?
A lot of the recent confusion stems from social media posts like former Missouri Sen. Claire McCaskill’s. Some also hypothesize that Missouri’s “trigger ban” could reinforce the idea that “life begins at conception,” which the bill mentions in its text.
However, a 1989 Supreme Court decision that originated as a Missouri case ruled that this statement is a “value judgment,” not an enforceable part of the law. If Missouri’s “trigger ban” goes into effect, this ruling would still apply.
McCaskill’s statements and other recent fears contemplate a potential world in which abortion is banned and lawmakers come after other methods of pregnancy prevention and family planning.
That doesn’t mean that extreme restrictions on birth control, Plan B or IVF will immediately go into effect as soon as Roe v. Wade gets overturned.
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(The Star’s Kacen Bayless and Jonathan Shorman contributed reporting to this piece.)
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