ag.mo.gov (Left), Adobe Stock (Right)
CV NEWS FEED // Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey has asserted that certain abortion restrictions can still be enforced in the state despite the recent passage of Amendment 3, which legalized abortion until viability (generally considered 20-24 weeks) in the Missouri Constitution.
In an official opinion released Nov. 22, Bailey indicated that while laws prohibiting abortion prior to fetal viability will no longer be enforceable since Amendment 3 passed, the state can still enforce regulations regarding abortions performed after viability, procedures involving minors without parental consent, and cases where individuals have been unlawfully pressured into having an abortion.
“Amendment 3 and U.S. Constitution permit the Attorney General and other officials to continue enforcing these laws after viability (with some exceptions), when there is no parental consent, and when the woman has been unlawfully pressured,” Bailey wrote.
Bailey’s opinion, addressed to Gov.-elect Mike Kehoe, pointed out five state statutes that he believes will be partially unenforceable under the new amendment. However, he also stated that he will “vigorously enforce” limitations on abortion where possible.
“The right of parents to forbid minors from obtaining abortions should not be misunderstood to somehow imply a right to force abortion on minors,” Bailey wrote, affirming that he will ensure parents do not unlawfully pressure their children into abortions.
>> Missouri Attorney General: Planned Parenthood Trafficked Children Out of State For Abortions <<
Referencing the “unfortunate, sordid history of coerced abortion” in the state, Bailey noted that the Attorney General will still enforce the laws when women have been coerced into having an abortion and said other officials should also protect these women.
“Amendment 3 does not give abortion clinics a right to perform abortions on women who have been coerced,” he said. “It would defy logic to say that an amendment meant to give a woman a right to an abortion (while eliminating the unborn child’s rights) could instead be twisted into a tool enabling abusers and oppressors to coerce abortion.”
Bailey filed a lawsuit against Planned Parenthood in February, citing the abortion provider’s ongoing trafficking of minors across state lines without parental consent to procure abortions.
