June 11, 2021

Appeals Court Upholds Injunction Against “Missouri Stands For the Unborn Act”

Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt
On Wednesday, the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a district judge's injunction against the "Missouri Stands for the Unborn Act." Among other things, this law bans discriminatory abortions, requires Missouri doctors who refer patients out-of-state for abortions to still fulfill the state's informed consent requirements, and has tiered abortion bans at 8, 14, and 18 weeks. It is written this way so that a ban might still exist if a court blocks one or two of them.

Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt responded to the 8th Circuit's decision by vowing to challenge it before the Supreme Court. Schmitt said in a statement, “While we’re disappointed in the Eighth Circuit’s decision, their decision does provide an avenue for this case to be heard by the Supreme Court, and we plan to seek review in the Supreme Court. I have never and will never stop fighting to ensure that all life is protected.”

The three-judge panel from the 8th Circuit voted 2-1 to maintain District Judge Howard F. Sachs’s injunction.