Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey sued Planned Parenthood Federation of America July 23, accusing the abortion giant of misleading women about the safety of abortion pills, violating the state’s consumer protection law.
“The lies must stop,” Bailey said in a July 23 press release. “We’re holding the national Planned Parenthood entity accountable for the lies it tells women in Missouri and across the nation. No one is above the law, not even Planned Parenthood.”
Bailey’s complaint, filed under the Missouri Merchandising Practices Act, alleges that Planned Parenthood falsely advertised the abortion pill mifepristone by comparing it to common drugs like Tylenol — even though complication rates are significantly higher.
The suit cites research that indicates that more than 4.5% of women, and possibly more than 10%, experience serious adverse effects after taking the drug.
As CatholicVote previously reported, an April study suggested that nearly 11% of women suffered serious or life-threatening complications within 45 days of taking the pill. That rate is more than 20 times the risk rate listed on the FDA-approved label.
Bailey also claims Planned Parenthood encourages women to hide abortion pill use from emergency medical providers, further jeopardizing their health.
The attorney general seeks $1.8 million in civil penalties and up to $1,000 for each woman who received the drug in Missouri over the past five years.
He is also asking the court to order Planned Parenthood to reimburse the state for taxpayer-funded medical care tied to abortion pill complications and to bar the group from making false claims in the state.