Legislation

 

Planned Parenthood will not appeal Missouri law extending reflection period from 24 hours to 72 hours

By Dave Andrusko

Many hundreds of pro-life citizens came to the Missouri State Capitol chanting “Override, override, override…”

When pro-abortionists were arguing against a new Missouri law that increased the time of reflection after counseling before an abortion can be performed from 24 hours to 72 hours, they insisted HB 1307 was unconstitutional.
Undeterred (as NRL News Today reported last month), the legislature overrode a veto by Gov. Jay Nixon with the law taking effect this Friday.
Guess what?
Pro-abortionists have chosen not to appeal the “”onerous” and “burdensome” law!
The for-the-newspapers explanation is that the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals is unsympathetic. More about that below.
We asked Missouri Right to Life President Pam Fichter for her reaction. She told NRL News Today

“Missouri Right to Life looks forward to the implementation of the 72-hour reflection period for women considering an abortion. We know that when mothers have the time to review all of their options, they are more likely to choose life for their unborn child. Missouri is blessed with many organizations seeking to help women in crisis pregnancies. The additional time allowed by this law provides opportunities for mothers to seek the assistance they need to bring a healthy baby into the world.”

NRL News Today readers will remember that the Missouri legislature also overrode two other vetoes of pro-life measures: an expansion of the tax credits that donors can claim when giving to pregnancy help centers, maternity homes and food pantries; and, a restoration of $500,000 in the state’s Alternatives to Abortion program. A Trifecta of life-affirming legislation.

But there are complicating factors which suggest we have not heard the last from pro-abortionists. “Although they have no immediate plans to sue, officials at Planned Parenthood and the ACLU left open the possibility of challenging the 72-hour waiting period after it has taken effect. That would require them to find a woman willing to serve as a plaintiff,” the Associated Press reported. “It’s difficult to find the right people in the right situation at the right time who would be able to challenge the law effectively,” said ACLU attorney Tony Rothert.

In addition, “To spare women from driving twice to its St. Louis abortion clinic, Planned Parenthood is offering consultations at its offices in suburban St. Louis, Springfield and Joplin and hopes to develop a network of additional counselors around the state, said Paula Gianino, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood of the St. Louis Region and Southwest Missouri,” according to the Associated Press. “It also anticipates referring more women for medication [chemical] abortions at a suburban St. Louis clinic in Illinois, where there is no waiting law.”

And as we reported two weeks ago, abortion clinics in Illinois and Kansas say they are preparing “to accommodate some extra volume,”-i.e., hire more abortionists and support staff.
None of this takes away from the positive impact of the law’s passage. The extra time can be a boon to women facing pressures to abort. Missouri has a well-established alternatives-to abortion-program in place to help these women and girls.

As we wrote after last month’s vetoes override and the news that other abortion clinic would be gearing up, this tells us

“We need to pass more protective laws in more states. Until Roe is reversed and protective legislation passed in all 50 states, the lives of many babies will be lost. But that does not mean we don’t do what can do now.

“Every baby saved is a precious life preserved and one less chance for the abortion industry to fill its coffers.”

Source: NRLC News