JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey issued a statement following the Court's decision to deny Planned Parenthood’s motion to dismiss his lawsuit, which accuses the organization of trafficking minors out of state for abortions without parental consent.
"The Court has cleared the way for my lawsuit against Planned Parenthood to move forward. Planned Parenthood has a long history of blatantly violating state law at the expense of both women and children. I will not sit idly by while bad actors traffic 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," stated Bailey.
The lawsuit is part of a multi-year effort led by Attorney General Bailey to remove Planned Parenthood from Missouri, citing consistent non-compliance with state laws. The suit outlines several instances of statutory violations by Planned Parenthood:
In 2018, after numerous health-code violations over at least five years, Planned Parenthood's Columbia facility was closed when staff admitted using moldy abortion equipment on patients for months.
Also in 2018, Planned Parenthood physicians admitted in court that they had failed to comply with state law requiring reports on medical complications from abortions for at least 15 years.
In 2020, the Administrative Hearing Commission found that despite Missouri law mandating that the physician performing an abortion must inform the patient about its risks, this practice was not followed by physicians at Planned Parenthood.
An investigative video captured recent unlawful activities where staff admitted to transporting minors across state lines daily for abortions without obtaining parental consent. The investigation revealed that minors were removed from school using altered doctors’ notes and taken into Kansas for abortions before being quickly returned—all circumventing legal requirements.
Missouri law prohibits intentionally causing or assisting a minor in obtaining an abortion without parental consent in another state (§ 188.250, RSMo). Attorney General Bailey is seeking injunctive relief as further investigations into Planned Parenthood continue.