Missouri became the latest state on Friday to end the killing of an unborn child with the activation of the state’s “trigger law.”
Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt, a Republican, signed an opinion Friday morning activating the trigger law which also includes an exception for the life of the mother.
It comes after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that Roe v. Wade and Casey, both landmark rulings that legalized abortion and took away its control from the states, were unconstitutional.
https://twitter.com/AGEricSchmitt/status/1540338042413944832
The high court’s ruling allows states to enact their own pro-life laws without fear of them being overturned or adjudicated by the courts.
A 2019 law passed by Missouri’s Republican legislature says “no abortion shall be performed or induced upon a woman, except in cases of medical emergency,” taking effect after the Supreme Court “has overruled, in whole or in part, Roe v. Wade.”
“With this attorney general opinion, my Office has effectively ended abortion in Missouri, becoming the first state in the country to do so following the Court’s ruling,” said Schmitt, who is also running for U.S. Senate, in a statement.
Republican Gov. Mike Parson also signed a proclamation Friday activating the trigger law, arguing that “nothing in the text, history or tradition of the United States Constitution gave un-elected federal judges authority to regulate abortion.”
“Thanks to decades of conservative leaders, Missouri has become one of the most pro-life states in the nation, and our Administration has always fought for the life of every unborn child,” Parson said in a statement. “Today, our efforts have produced what generations of Missourians have worked and prayed for: Today, we have won our fight to protect innocent life.”
The ruling from the Supreme Court marks a key victory for the pro-life movement and lawmakers, who have made overturning Roe their primary political goal and argue that abortion is immoral, especially in light of scientific advances which have increased viability down to 3 months gestation.
In a statement responding to Friday’s court ruling, Planned Parenthood said the decision “opens the floodgates for states across the country to ban abortion.”
While signing his opinion, Schmitt called Friday “a monumental day for the sanctity of life.”
“This opinion immediately restores Missouri’s deeply rooted history and proud tradition of respecting, protecting, and promoting the life of the unborn,” the attorney general wrote. “Missouri has been a national leader in the pro-life movement, and this leadership is reflected in its laws.”
–Dwight Widaman | Metro Voice
