The Missouri statute at issue in Webster v. Reproductive Health Services, contained three related prohibitions on speech about abortion. The statute: (1) prohibited public employees from encouraging or counseling a woman to have an abortion except where necessary to save her life; (2) banned such counseling in a public facility; and (3) prohibited the expenditure of public funds for such a purpose in any context. In essence, Missouri's statute attempted to censor the speech of physicians and counselors, even where an abortion would be medically indicated though not necessary to save the woman's life. The statutory scheme thus invades the doctor-patient relationship, jeopardizes free speech and access to medical information, and seeks to manipulate and mislead women who are considering the appropriate course of action for their unwanted pregnancies.
Abortion counseling.