Missouri AG takes action against Planned Parenthood over alleged violations of abortion laws

By lauraharris // 2025-03-18

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Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey issued a cease-and-desist order against Planned Parenthood, alleging the organization conducted chemical abortions without complying with state health and safety regulations, including failing to file required complication reports and lacking an approved complication plan.
Bailey cited a Missouri statute requiring abortion providers to have a plan for handling medical complications from chemical abortions. He argued that Planned Parenthood's actions were unlawful, despite a court injunction on a related regulation but not the statute itself.
On March 12, Bailey enforced a temporary restraint, halting Planned Parenthood's ability to perform chemical abortions in Missouri, accusing the organization of repeatedly violating state laws and endangering women's safety.
Missouri is among 13 states with strict abortion restrictions or bans. Abortion advocacy groups are countering these measures by distributing abortion pills, supporting interstate travel for abortions, and pushing for state constitutional protections.
Former President Joe Biden has urged Congress to codify a federal right to abortion, aiming to override state-level restrictions. Meanwhile, pro-life groups continue to oppose such efforts, reflecting the ongoing national debate over abortion access.

Missouri Republican Attorney General Andrew Bailey has issued a cease-and-desist order against Planned Parenthood, alleging that the organization has been conducting chemical abortions without complying with state health and safety regulations. In a letter dated March 5, Bailey warned Margot Riphagen, the head of Planned Parenthood Great Rivers-Missouri, that their failure to file required complication reports and lack of an approved complication plan made their chemical abortion practices unlawful. Bailey cited a Missouri statute that requires abortion providers to have a plan in place for handling medical complications arising from chemically induced abortions. "My understanding is that any chemically induced abortion you would perform would involve a drug or chemical satisfying the trigger in this statute," Bailey wrote. "As you know, a court in Jackson County has preliminarily enjoined a regulation passed under this statute, but not the statute itself. Because your facility does not appear to have an approved complication plan, it is unlawful for your organization to perform any chemically induced abortions in Missouri." Bailey followed through on his warning on March 12, issuing a temporary restraint that effectively halts Planned Parenthood's ability to perform chemical abortions in the state. The attorney general accused the organization of "refusing to file required complication reports" despite being aware of the legal obligation to do so. "Planned Parenthood has a documented history of subverting state law, including failure to file complication reports. This cease-and-desist letter ensures that basic health and safety standards are met. Given Planned Parenthood’s history, I will continue to ensure their compliance with state law." "Planned Parenthood has demonstrated a disturbing pattern of performing abortions without the necessary complication plans, failing to report complications, and willfully violating state law. It is my duty to enforce the law and protect the lives and safety of Missourians. Missouri will not tolerate Planned Parenthood’s blatant disregard of the law and the safety of women," Bailey added. In turn, Planned Parenthood now lost the access to perform any chemical abortions in Missouri.

Abortion advocacy groups working to counteract pro-life measures

Currently, 13 states have enacted laws that either ban or significantly restrict abortion access, namely Alabama, Arkansas, Idaho, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas and West Virginia. However, abortion advocacy groups have been actively working to counteract these measures. These strategies include facilitating the distribution of abortion pills, providing legal protections and financial assistance for interstate travel to access abortion services, pushing to codify abortion "rights" in state constitutions and establishing new abortion facilities near state borders where pro-life and pro-abortion policies intersect. Additionally, former President Joe Biden urged Congress to enshrine a federal "right" to abortion into law before he leaves office. Such legislation would not only reinstate the Roe v. Wade framework but also expand it by prohibiting states from enacting nearly any pro-life measures. But just like pro-abortion groups, pro-lifers have also been working hard to defeat them. (Related: Abortions drop to ALMOST ZERO in Texas after state's near-total ban on infanticide.) Check out Abortions.news for more stories related to the murder of the unborn. Watch Ivory Hecker of Next News Network discuss the Texas Freedom Caucus threatening abortion providers and their allies.

This video is from the NewsClips channel on Brighteon.com.

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Abortion advocacy groups working to counteract pro-life measures

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