An abortion rights organization is suing the state of Missouri over a law requiring parental consent for minors seeking abortions.
Right By You, the plaintiff, argues that the law is unconstitutional after Missouri voters passed Amendment 3, which enshrined abortion rights in the state’s constitution last year.
Under current state law, a minor must receive permission from at least one parent to receive an abortion, and the other parent must be notified. If unable to receive parental consent, a minor can seek out a court to grant them the right.
“The laws bully pregnant young people without parental support into giving birth and threaten legal action against and undermine the core activities of Good Samaritans who seek to help young people effectuate their own decisions about their pregnancies with dignity,” the lawsuit from Right By You reads.
Republican Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey called the lawsuit, which was filed against him, the state, and a county prosecutor, “shameful” in a statement to the Missouri Independent.
“This is a shameful and dangerous attempt by radicals hell-bent on the destruction of innocent life to undermine not only parental rights but also the health and safety of young women,” Bailey’s office said. “Trafficking minors for dangerous procedures without parental consent is and should remain illegal.”
FEDERAL JUDGE BLOCKS NEVADA ABORTION LAW REQUIRING PARENTAL NOTIFICATION
Amendment 3 expanded abortion access up until fetal viability, generally around the 24th week of pregnancy, with exceptions afterward to protect the life or health of the mother. Prior to its passage, abortion was essentially banned in the state, though some exceptions existed.
Since the overturning of Roe v. Wade in 2022, states have made strides in codifying abortion rights in their state constitutions, with ten states having an abortion amendment on their ballots in the last election.
A federal judge recently put a temporary pause on a Nevada law that requires parental notification before a minor can receive an abortion.
