The state Senate has voted to triple the amount of time a woman wanting an abortion has to wait to get one, increasing the waiting period to 72 hours from the presently-mandated 24. . 

The bill that has cleared the House once has been sent back with some Senate changes.

Democrats filibustering the bill forced majority Republicans to use the unusual tactic of bringing up the bill  at 9:30 p.m.  Democrats didn’t give up until after midnight. 

St. Louis Republican Senator John Lamping hopes the extra 48 hours will convince more women not to abort a fetus.  He says society has extended the time it considers executing criminals; it’s natural that the state require a pregnant woman to take more time to consider the death of an unborn child.

Democrats say the bill will be ruled unconstitutional by the courts, eventually. 

 To get a vote on the abortion bill and on the early voting bill early this morning, Republicans agreed with Democrat demands that they drop two other priority bills—voter photo-ID, and the bill limiting the way public employee unions can get dues money from employees.

AUDIO: closing debate 9:06

(Senators Sifton, Levota, Lamping, Sater)