The Missouri legislature passed a law Wednesday that requires women to wait three days before undergoing an abortion procedure. 

If signed into law, Missouri will become the third state that requires women to undergo a 72-hour waiting period before getting an abortion, USA Today reports. 

After an acrimonious debate, the Missouri House voted 111-39 to send HB-1307 to Gov. Jay Nixon. 

Earlier this week, Senate Democrats promised Republicans that they would stop filibustering the controversial bill in exchange for stopping other bills that are also considered controversial. 

The new legislation requires that women wait 72 hours between their initial appointment with the physician who will perform the procedure and getting the abortion. Missouri only has one clinic in St. Louis that performs abortions, meaning women traveling from other parts of the state must wait three days in St. Louis before undergoing the procedure. 

If the bill is signed into law, Missouri will join Utah and South Dakota as the only three states with the waiting period. 

Republican Rep. Kevin Elmer, who supported the bill, said he is defending the "rights of the unborn."

Many lawmakers debated the fact that the law does not make exemptions for rape and incest. Elmer defended the law's provisions. 

"This is a tragic occurrence -- rape, incest -- and there's a pregnancy that occurs from it. And I would never say, oh, that's a great situation," Elmer said. "But this is what gets down to the heart of it. The crux of it is for me when does life begin, and how do you value it? For me, even though that tragic situation may occur, I still believe that God is at work in this world and that he'll let bad things happen and he doesn't cause it."

On the other side of the aisle, Democratic Rep. Gina Mitten said the longer waiting period makes it difficult for lower-income women to get abortions if they have to travel to St. Louis. 

Democratic Rep. Judy Morgan echoed Mitten's sentiments, adding that women do not need a waiting period because they already consult with family and religious leaders before making the decision, and do not take it lightly. 

"Those of us who oppose this bill believe it's designed to demean and shame a woman in an effort to change her mind and places unnecessary hurdles on her decision to end a pregnancy," Morgan said.

The bill is less complicated than earlier versions of the bill. One version would have forced women to view a video of abortion-related information prior to getting an abortion, which is currently available in print. The measure was removed from the legislation. 

It is not clear if Nixon will sign the bill into law or not, as the governor has signed other abortion-related bills, but has also vetoed legislation that would have allowed businesses to opt out of offering contraception insurance to women. 

However, Nixon said Missourians know his stance on the issue. 

"I've had pretty consistent positions on this. I think everyone knows, obviously, which way I lean on it," he said.