On Tuesday, August 27th, U.S. District Judge Howard Sachs of the Western District of Missouri blocked the Missouri Stands for the Unborn Act. The law in question would ban abortion after 8 weeks and was signed into law by Governor Mike Parson on May 24th. It was scheduled to go into effect on August 28th.

House Bill 126, or what many call the “abortion ban” would make “any person who knowingly performs or induces an abortion of an unborn child [after 8 weeks] in violation of this subsection” guilty of a class B felony, without regards to instances of rape or incest. Abortion would only be permissible in cases of a medical emergency, including death and irreversible physical impairment of the pregnant party. This time frame was based on viability, namely the point at which a fetus’s heartbeat can be detected. However, many argue this is unreasonable because fetal heartbeat does not prove life and many are not aware of their pregnancies at 8 weeks. Planned Parenthood, the American Civil Liberties Union, and law firm Paul Weiss filed a lawsuit against the state of Missouri on July 30th to stop the ban from taking effect.

This bill is one of many like it which have been passed in states around the country, including Alabama, Mississippi, and Georgia. These bans are passed with the hope it will force the Supreme Court to reevaluate Roe v Wade, the case which legalized abortion nationwide. Judge Sachs’ block follows blocks in Ohio and Arkansas, citing both his concern about the prohibition of discriminatory or selective abortions and the proposed date of viability. “The hostility to, and refusal to comply with, the Supreme Court’s abortion jurisprudence is most obviously demonstrated in the attempt to push “viability” protection downward in various weekly stages to 8 weeks [after the last menstrual period],” Judge Sachs wrote.

Angela Huntington, Health Center Manager at Planned Parenthood Great Plains, considers the Judge Sachs’ decision as an absolute victory saying “patients are gonna be able to access a vital piece of healthcare.” Huntington spoke about how upsetting it is that an issue like abortion has been so heavily politicized. “I think that our country is in turmoil at the moment,” she said, “and unfortunately this very delicate issue often gets politicized and is used as political weaponry in our political process.” 

Last year, a pro-life group visited Hickman and handed out misleading literature to many students. According to Huntington, the stigmatization and politicization of abortion “doesn’t help anything. I think that people who are pro-life, I think that they are under a misconception that a woman takes this decision lightly. It’s a very big decision.” Huntington repeatedly voiced her support for those who choose to get an abortion. “It’s very important for women to choose what they want to do with their bodies.”