Missouri AG sues Planned Parenthood in latest attack on abortion rights: "Beginning of the end"

Columbia, Missouri - Missouri's Attorney General filed a lawsuit against Planned Parenthood, accusing the organization of transporting minors across state lines to Kansas to obtain illegal abortions without parental consent.

The Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey has accused Planned Parenthood of arranging out of state abortions for minors.
The Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey has accused Planned Parenthood of arranging out of state abortions for minors.  © IMAGO / USA TODAY Network

Andrew Bailey filed the lawsuit against Planned Parenthood Great Plains, which is located in Kansas City, Missouri, on Thursday.

The suit accuses the organization of violating Missouri state law, which makes it illegal to "intentionally cause, aid, or assist a minor to obtain an abortion" without parental consent, by taking minors into Kansas to obtain the procedure.

"This is the beginning of the end for Planned Parenthood in the state of Missouri," Bailey said in a press release. "What they conceal and conspire to do in the dark of night has now been uncovered. I am filing suit to ensure it never happens again."

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The allegations are based on two hidden camera videos from a conservative group, Project Veritas, which has previously promoted false claims, as the Associated Press reported.

According to the suit, one video features a Project Veritas representative, who poses as someone seeking an abortion for a fictitious minor, talking to Planned Parenthood employees.

The lawsuit provides no other evidence of the illegal actions the state is accusing Planned Parenthood of providing.

Planned Parenthood Great Plains CEO slams lawsuit

Since Missouri prohibited abortion care in 2022 many Missourians have had to travel out of state for care.
Since Missouri prohibited abortion care in 2022 many Missourians have had to travel out of state for care.  © ANGELA WEISS / AFP

Planned Parenthood Great Plains President and CEO Emily Wales described the Missouri Attorney General's lawsuit as "a press release dressed up as legal action," per St. Louis Public Radio.

She also denied the accusations in the suit. The organization said it does not provide transportation or lodging for its patients, regardless of their edge.

"We will continue following state and federal laws and proudly providing Missourians with the compassionate sexual and reproductive care that remains available to them in a state with a total abortion ban," Wales said.

Missouri prohibited almost all abortion care in the state shortly after the US Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022. The state's restrictive laws have forced many Missourians to travel to Illinois and Kansas to obtain abortion care.

Cover photo: ANGELA WEISS / AFP

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