Pro-abortion clergy sue over Missouri unborn protections

Thirteen pro-abortion Christian and Jewish leaders filed suit on Thursday challenging Missouri’s increased protections for unborn children. The lawsuit makes a separation of church and state argument, saying sponsors and supporters of the Missouri measure imposed their religious beliefs on others. Missouri Senate President Pro Tem Caleb Rowden responded, saying the belief that life is precious is not just religious.

Is this similar to what’s happening in other states? In arguing for the separation of church and state, the Missouri lawsuit takes a similar approach to lawsuits filed in other states. In Kentucky, three Jewish women sued, and in Indiana, lawyers sued on behalf of five anonymous women who are Jewish, Muslim, and “spiritual,” according to the Associated Press. But while women claim harm from the states’ laws, the lead attorney in the lawsuit against Missouri’s protections for the unborn said she hopes to strike down Missouri’s whole law.

Dig deeper: Read Leah Savas’ report in Vitals about the Dobbs ruling, which led to a 50-state battle over abortion and new challenges for pro-lifers.