188.015. Definitions.
Definitions.
188.015. As used in this chapter, the following terms mean:
(1) "Abortion", the intentional destruction of the life of an embryoor fetus in his or her mother's womb or the intentional termination of thepregnancy of a mother with an intention other than to increase theprobability of a live birth or to remove a dead or dying unborn child;
(2) "Abortion facility", a clinic, physician's office, or any otherplace or facility in which abortions are performed or induced other than ahospital;
(3) "Conception", the fertilization of the ovum of a female by asperm of a male;
(4) "Department", the department of health and senior services;
(5) "Gestational age", length of pregnancy as measured from the firstday of the woman's last menstrual period;
(6) "Medical emergency", a condition which, on the basis of aphysician's good faith clinical judgment, so complicates the medicalcondition of a pregnant woman as to necessitate the immediate abortion ofher pregnancy to avert the death of the pregnant woman or for which a delaywill create a serious risk of substantial and irreversible impairment of amajor bodily function of the pregnant woman;
(7) "Physician", any person licensed to practice medicine in thisstate by the state board of registration for* the healing arts;
(8) "Unborn child", the offspring of human beings from the moment ofconception until birth and at every stage of its biological development,including the human conceptus, zygote, morula, blastocyst, embryo, andfetus;
(9) "Viability", that stage of fetal development when the life of theunborn child may be continued indefinitely outside the womb by natural orartificial life-supportive systems.
(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