Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey announced today that he has filed a lawsuit against Planned Parenthood with the goal of “permanently driving Planned Parenthood from the state of Missouri.”
Bailey said the lawsuit was a direct result of a Project Veritas investigation which reportedly revealed that a Planned Parenthood in Kansas City refused to comply with state laws regarding helping a minor obtain an abortion out of state and without parental consent.
Under Missouri law, abortion is illegal except in cases of a medical emergency.
[Note: During his State of the State address last month, Governor Mike Parson boasted that there had been zero abortions in the state since the overturning of Roe v. Wade in June 2022. Parson appointed Bailey as AG in November 2022.]
BREAKING: Today, I am filing suit against Planned Parenthood for trafficking minors out of state to obtain abortions without parental consent.
This is the beginning of the end for Planned Parenthood in the State of Missouri.
— Attorney General Andrew Bailey (@AGAndrewBailey) February 29, 2024
Bailey says there are administrative, civil and criminal penalties involved in his lawsuit against Planned Parenthood and is “calling upon all policy makers at all levels of state government to use any tools necessary to permanently defund Planned Parenthood.”
Bailey writes in another tweet: “It is time to eradicate Planned Parenthood once and for.”
On February 8, Republican state Senator Mary Elizabeth Coleman introduced legislation that would change Missouri law to make Planned Parenthood ineligible to receive reimbursements from the state’s Medicaid program. As her bill was brought up for debate, Democratic state Senator Tracy McCreery introduced two amendments that would add exemptions to Missouri’s abortion ban for victims of rape and incest.
Coleman was unable to stop Planned Parenthood from receiving Medicaid reimbursement, but she and fellow Republicans were able to block the addition of rape and incest exemptions to the state’s abortion ban.
Note: In light of the recent Alabama Supreme Court ruling which considers frozen embryos “people,” Sen. McCreery introduced legislation this week to protect IVF treatments in Missouri.
Sen. Tracy McCreery files legislation to protect IVF treatments in Missouri following Alabama ruling #moleg #IVF #SB1486 @TracyMcCreery pic.twitter.com/PE8pK1j7YR
— Senate Democrats (@MoSenDems) February 28, 2024
Note: Coleman is running in the upcoming 3rd Congressional District Republican primary, to replace U.S. Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer who announced his retirement after eight terms in the House.