Planned Parenthood, ACLU sue Missouri over 8-week abortion ban

Abortion rights supporters are suing Missouri over its ban on abortions after eight weeks of pregnancy, arguing that the measure is unconstitutional.

Planned Parenthood, the American Civil Liberties Union and Paul, Weiss — the law firm that argued in support of legalizing same-sex marriage in a landmark Supreme Court case — filed the case in federal court in Missouri against Republican Gov. Mike Parson and other state officials on Tuesday evening.

“By imposing a ban on abortion prior to viability, the 8-Week Ban violates Plaintiffs’ patients’ rights to privacy and liberty guaranteed by the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution,” the groups wrote.

The challenge joins several others by abortion rights supporters in response to laws passed this year restricting abortion in Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Indiana and Ohio.

Parson signed the Missouri measure into law in May, and it is slated to go into effect on August 28. It would penalize medical professionals who perform abortions after eight weeks into a pregnancy — before many women know that they are pregnant — with