Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand: ‘Our Lives Depend On’ Protecting Abortion Rights

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) (Getty/Steve Pope)

“Our lives depend on” protecting abortion rights, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) claimed Friday in response to breaking news that restrictions on the termination of unborn babies in Missouri had been signed into law.

Reacting to an Associated Press (AP) story that Missouri’s new law bans abortion at the eighth week of pregnancy, Sen. Gillibrand tweeted that women’s lives depend on forcefully fighting back:

“Women can't afford for us to take half-measures in response to an all-out onslaught on their rights. We have to fight back like our lives depend on it. They do.”

According to the AP story, Missouri’s abortion ban includes exceptions when the life or physical health of the mother is endangered by pregnancy:

Missouri Gov. Mike Parson on Friday signed a bill that bans abortions on or beyond the eighth week of pregnancy without exceptions for cases of rape or incest, making it among the most restrictive abortion policies in the nation.

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The measure includes exceptions for medical emergencies, such as when there is a risk of death or permanent physical injuries to “a major bodily function of the pregnant woman.”