Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey files lawsuit against Planned Parenthood for 'trafficking minors out of state to obtain abortions without parental consent'

Missouri's Attorney General Andrew Bailey has filed a lawsuit against Planned Parenthood, accusing it of 'trafficking minors out of state to obtain abortions without parental consent'.

Bailey accused Planned Parenthood Great Plains of working to pay for minors' abortions, as well as providing lodgings and transport.

He cited an undercover video from conservative group Project Veritas which he claims showed staff at the organization describing how a 13-year-old girl could obtain an abortion without her parents' knowledge. 

A spokesperson for Planned Parenthood Great Plains said it does not provide transportation directly to patients. 

'This lawsuit is the culmination of a multi-year campaign to drive Planned Parenthood from the State of Missouri because of its flagrant and intentional refusal to comply with state law,' Bailey said. 

Missouri's Attorney General Andrew Bailey has filed a lawsuit against Planned Parenthood accusing it of 'trafficking minors out of state to obtain abortions without parental consent'

Planned Parenthood Great Plains president Emily Wales said the organization follows, 'state and federal laws'

Bailey accused Planned Parenthood Great Plains of working to pay for minors' abortions as well as providing lodgings and transport

'It is time to eradicate Planned Parenthood once and for all to end this pattern of abhorrent, unethical, and illegal behavior.' 

Abortion has been banned in Missouri except for medical emergencies since June 2022, after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade.

Bailey's lawsuit rehashes several historic health and safety violations at a PPGP clinic in Columbia in 2018, including  staff admitting to 'using moldy abortion equipment on women for months'.

It also references the undercover video as evidence that the organization has been 'trafficking' minors for abortions.

'Violating the “deeply rooted” right of parents and the laws of Missouri, Planned Parenthood is inducing minors into making life-changing—and life-ending— decisions without parental consent,' the lawsuit states.

The video allegedly shows staff at a Planned Parenthood facility telling an undercover journalist how to obtain an abortion for a teen girl in neighboring Kansas. 

'The investigation revealed that Planned Parenthood removes minors from school using altered doctors’ notes, transports them into Kansas for abortions, and then quickly returns them—all to avoid the legal requirement to obtain parental consent,' Bailey said. 

The filings claim PPGP represented to schools that minors should be excused without disclosing it was for an abortion.

Abortion has been banned in Missouri except for medical emergencies since June 2022, after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade

Bailey cited undercover video from conservative group Project Veritas which he claimed to show PPGP describing how a 13-year-old could obtain an abortion

Bailey is seeking an injunction ordering PPGP to stop aiding minors obtain abortions. 

Planned Parenthood Great Plains called the attorney general's actions 'a press release dressed up as legal action from an unelected attorney general' in a statement to the Kansas City Star. 

Planned Parenthood president, Emily Wales, said in a statement that the lawsuit was 'based on "evidence" from fraudulent, extreme anti-abortion actors' and that the organization would 'continue following state and federal laws.' 

'Planned Parenthood can try to turn the spotlight back on us, but they've been caught breaking the law,' a Project Veritas spokesperson said in an email. 

The organization frequently releases video purporting to show wrongdoing by left-leaning groups but has been accused of employing deceptive tactics. 

On Wednesday the Missouri state House today gave initial approval to a bill that would defund Planned Parenthood.

The measure would prevent Medicaid funding from going to the reproductive health organization.