Lawmakers in the U.S. state of Missouri have passed a resolution recognising "the right to life of every unborn human child at every stage of biological development."

Voting 112-36, lawmakers passed House Joint Resolution 98 that will give voters the chance to amend the Missouri Constitution.

Under the resolution, voters will be asked, "Should the Missouri Constitution be amended to protect pregnant women and unborn children by recognizing that an unborn child is a person with a right to life which cannot be deprived by state or private action without due process and equal protection of law?"

The measure is now with the state Senate for approval but it does not need the signature of Gov. Jay Nixon, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

Critics of the resolution described the measure as the most extreme abortion-related legislation this year that could make abortion illegal even in cases of rape or when the life of a mother is in danger.

Democratic Rep. Lauren Arthur assured that "this bill doesn't just take the issue over the edge of the cliff. It rockets the issue into outer space."

Republican Rep. Jay Barnes said the measure will not supersede federal rulings on abortion but said it "puts Missouri in the position to be the most pro-life state in the country."

State Rep. Tila Hubrecht, another Republican, said that women shouldn't decide to get an abortion just because they are raped.

"It is not up to us to say 'no just because there was a rape, they cannot exist.' Sometimes bad things happen — horrible things, but sometimes God can give us a silver lining through the birth of a child," she said.

Resolution sponsor Rep. Mike Moon pro-life supporters could no longer be silent on the issue of abortion.

NARAL Pro-Choice Missouri's Executive Director Alison Dreith scored the measure saying Missouri women and families need leaders who fight to resolve real problems, according to LifeSite News.