Missouri’s abortion ban is not automatically repealed as a result of voters overturning the ban on Tuesday. So, Planned Parenthood said it is suing Missouri to put an end to several longstanding abortion restrictions.
“The state’s people get to vote on their constitutional right, and from there, we go to court to say, ‘Here’s where we think the conflicts exist. These are the barriers, the hurdles that prevent people from exercising their newly established constitutional right,’” Emily Wales, president and CEO of Comprehensive Health of Planned Parenthood Great Plains, told reporters during a virtual call Wednesday.
The lawsuit names as defendants the state of Missouri, Gov. Mike Parson and Attorney General Andrew Bailey, along with the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services.
About 51% of Missouri voters backed Amendment 3 to restore abortion rights.
St. Louis, Columbia, and Kansas City Planned Parenthood clinics want to resume abortions on December 5.
Maggie Olivia, Senior Policy Manager with Abortion Action Missouri, said the lawsuit asks a judge to block several abortion requirements.
“The list of frivolous and cruel restrictions on abortion access in our state goes on and on,” Olivia said. “The 72-hour waiting period requiring two separate trips to the clinic, so-called informed consent forms for no reason other than to shame.”
Richard Muniz, interim president and CEO of Planned Parenthood Great Rivers, said Missouri’s abortion ban also includes several “stiff” criminal penalties.
“In order for us to safely provide abortions in the state, we need the court to block the state from enforcing all of the laws, including the criminal penalties that come with them,” said Muniz.
Other requirements involve physician rights to admit patients to a certain hospital, counseling, and a requirement that abortion sites be licensed as ambulatory surgical centers.
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