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 The state's Senate and House of Representatives in May approved
the bill that would have extended the minimum waiting period before
a woman could have an abortion to 72 hours from 24 hours, without
exception.
Nixon, a Democrat, said in a statement that lawmakers' failure to
include an exception for rape or incest "demonstrates a callous
disregard for women who find themselves in horrific circumstances."
Republican Representatives Kevin Elmer and Andrew Koenig who
sponsored the bill could not be reached immediately for comment.
The 24-hour waiting period remains in effect unless lawmakers vote
to override Nixon's veto. A two-thirds' vote in both Republican-led
chambers is required to override a veto in Missouri.
The bill passed the House by a vote of 111-39 and the Senate with a
22-9 vote, close to the two-thirds needed for a veto override.
If the veto is overridden, Missouri would join Utah and South Dakota
as the only states to require women to wait 72 hours to have an
abortion after an initial visit to a doctor, according to the
Guttmacher Institute, a non-profit research organization that
supports the right to abortion.
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Utah's law does not require a 72-hour waiting period for victims of
rape or incest and does not require a wait if a girl is aged 14 or
younger, Guttmacher said.
(Reporting by Brendan O'Brien in Milwaukee; Editing by Peter Cooney)
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