Jefferson City, Mo., Jul 31, 2019 / 10:01 am
Planned Parenthood and the American Civil Liberties Union filed a joint lawsuit July 30 in the US District Court for the Western District of Missouri Central Division in opposition to state laws regulating abortion, which are set to come into force Aug. 28.
The laws, which Gov. Mike Parson signed May 24, provide for 5-15 years in prison for doctors who perform abortions after eight weeks of pregnancy, except in the case that the doctor determines the life of the mother is in danger. Women who procure abortions would not be punished.
The plaintiffs also took issue with "invasive and medically inappropriate pelvic exams," which Missouri requires doctors to perform before every abortion.
They also objected to a provision in the new law prohibiting abortion on the basis of a Down syndrome diagnosis, or the sex of the fetus, saying that this forbids "patients from exercising their constitutionally protected right to a pre-viability abortion in Missouri, in violation of the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution."