Missouri § 188.210 Public employees, activities prohibited, when.

Missouri Statutes

§ 188.210 — Public employees, activities prohibited, when.

Missouri § 188.210

Title XIIPUBLIC HEALTH AND WELFARE

Ch. 188Regulation of Abortions

This text of Missouri § 188.210 (Public employees, activities prohibited, when.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Missouri primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook

Mo. Rev. Stat. § 188.210 (2026).

Text

It shall be unlawful for any public employee within the scope of his employment to perform or assist an abortion, not necessary to save the life of the mother.  It shall be unlawful for a doctor, nurse or other health care personnel, a social worker, a counselor or persons of similar occupation who is a public employee within the scope of his public employment to encourage or counsel a woman to have an abortion not necessary to save her life.

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It shall be unlawful for any public employee within the scope of his employment to perform or assist an abortion, not necessary to save the life of the mother. It shall be unlawful for a doctor, nurse or other health care personnel, a social worker, a counselor or persons of similar occupation who is a public employee within the scope of his public employment to encourage or counsel a woman to have an abortion not necessary to save her life.

Legislative History

(L. 1986 H.B. 1596 § 3) (1987) United States District Court for the Western District of Missouri Central Division, on March 17, 1987, held that section 188.210 was unconstitutional and the state was permanently enjoined from enforcing this provision. Reproductive Health Services v. William L. Webster, 655 F.Supp. 1300 (W.D. Mo.). (1988) United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit affirmed the district court's judgment that this section is unconstitutional. Reproductive Health Services v. William L. Webster, 851 F.2d 1071 (8th Cir.). (1989) United States Supreme Court reversed the holding of the lower courts and held that prohibition of use of public funds to perform or to assist in performing nontherapeutic abortions was not a violation of the U.S. Constitution. Webster v. Reproductive Health Services, 109 S.Ct. 3040.