Section 188.015

Title XII PUBLIC HEALTH AND WELFARE

Chapter 188

Effective - 28 Aug 2007, 3 histories, see footnote   (history) 

  188.015.  Definitions. — As used in this chapter, the following terms mean:

  (1) "Abortion", the intentional destruction of the life of an embryo or fetus in his or her mother's womb or the intentional termination of the pregnancy of a mother with an intention other than to increase the probability of a live birth or to remove a dead or dying unborn child;

  (2) "Abortion facility", a clinic, physician's office, or any other place or facility in which abortions are performed or induced other than a hospital;

  (3) "Conception", the fertilization of the ovum of a female by a sperm of a male;

  (4) "Department", the department of health and senior services;

  (5) "Gestational age", length of pregnancy as measured from the first day of the woman's last menstrual period;

  (6) "Medical emergency", a condition which, on the basis of a physician's good faith clinical judgment, so complicates the medical condition of a pregnant woman as to necessitate the immediate abortion of her pregnancy to avert the death of the pregnant woman or for which a delay will create a serious risk of substantial and irreversible impairment of a major bodily function of the pregnant woman;

  (7) "Physician", any person licensed to practice medicine in this state by the state board of registration for* the healing arts;

  (8) "Unborn child", the offspring of human beings from the moment of conception until birth and at every stage of its biological development, including the human conceptus, zygote, morula, blastocyst, embryo, and fetus;

  (9) "Viability", that stage of fetal development when the life of the unborn child may be continued indefinitely outside the womb by natural or artificial life-supportive systems.

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(L. 1974 H.B. 1211 § 2, A.L. 1979 H.B. 523, et al., A.L. 1986 H.B. 1596, A.L. 2007 H.B. 1055)

*Word "of" appears in original rolls.

CROSS REFERENCE:

Life begins at conception, RSMo 1.205