Attorney General Schmitt Appeals the Injunction Against the "Missouri Stands for the Unborn Act"

Last week, Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt filed a brief with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit, asking the court to overturn a previous ruling putting portions of HB 126 - the "Missouri Stands for the Unborn Act"- on hold. Previously, the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri ruled against HB 126's ban on abortions at eight, 14, 18 & 20 weeks gestational age and its ban on abortions based on a prenatal diagnosis of Down Syndrome.

In his summary of the case, Schmitt states that "Eugenic abortion of children with Down Syndrome is epidemic in the United States, and it has reached genocidal levels in many Western nations," and that those individuals with Down Syndrome "add incalculable joy, beauty, and diversity to society, and yet they are one generation away from elimination." Attorney General Schmitt's brief points out that while the district court found these provisions were likely invalid, the Supreme Court and the Eighth Circuit have yet to address similar Down Syndrome and the 20-week "pain-capable" restrictions.

Reproductive Health Services of Planned of Planned Parenthood of the St. Louis Region's reply brief is due by December 16, although they have asked for a 30-day extension.