JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – With help from nine Democrats, the Missouri House voted to override Gov. Jay Nixon’s veto of a bill that would triple the state’s current 24-hour waiting period for abortion.

The 117-44 vote late Wednesday night was followed by a forced vote in the Senate, where Republicans stood united to override Nixon’s veto. The measure will enact one of the toughest restrictions in the country, placing Missouri with just two other states with similar restrictions on the books.

“The haters don’t want to talk about what this bill is about: protecting life,” said House Speaker Tim Jones, R-Eureka, in a rare speech on the House floor. “This is not a prohibition bill.”

Nixon, in his veto message, was critical of the Legislature’s decision not to include an exemption for victims of rape and incest.

The bill was sponsored by Rep. Kevin Elmer, R-Springfield. Elmer said such an exemption is not necessary.

“We’ve not removed any of the medical exceptions that currently exist. The mother now gets 72-hours to consider this life altering decision before she goes for it,” he said.

There is only one facility that provides abortion in Missouri. It is located in urban St. Louis. Opponents of the bill said that reality, on its own, restricts those seeking an abortion –  forcing those from outstate to either get a hotel room for three nights or make multiple trips to St. Louis to undergo the procedure.

Like Jones, Rep. Cathy Conway, R-St. Charles, said a 72-hour waiting period is not too restrictive, and, “if it cannot wait, go across the river where it can happen tomorrow.”

Supporters and opponents of the bill, HB 1307, streamed through the Capital on Wednesday, meeting with legislature and staging rallies.