JEFFERSON CITY — Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey has filed a lawsuit against the Planned Parenthood Federation of America, accusing the organization of systematically deceiving Missouri women about the dangers of the abortion drug, Mifepristone, in violation of the state’s consumer protection law.
Bailey
Bailey’s petition argues that Planned Parenthood has promoted false and misleading information to downplay the risks associated with chemical abortions. It was filed in Cole Circuit Court.
“The national Planned Parenthood organization is actively endangering the lives of women and girls across the country by spreading lies and disinformation about the powerful chemical abortion drug,” Bailey said in a statement. “The facts are clear: more than 4.5 percent of women who take this dangerous drug end up in the emergency room, yet Planned Parenthood compares it to Tylenol. This is a blatant violation of Missouri law, and I will not allow a death factory to lie to Missouri women in pursuit of its radical agenda.”
Planned Parenthood’s online materials claim that Mifepristone is “safer than many other medicines like penicillin, Tylenol and Viagra.”
The lawsuit argues that such comparisons are false and misleading, citing FDA data that up to 4.6% of women who take mifepristone experience serious complications requiring emergency care.
A recent peer-reviewed study referenced in the court filing suggests the rate of adverse events may be even higher — exceeding 10% — since certain FDA safety restrictions were lifted.
The state’s lawsuit claims that Planned Parenthood’s website is not merely informational, but interactive and targeted to Missouri women, specifically in Cole County.
The site includes tools directing users to “Find a Health Center” and book appointments at local affiliates, including Planned Parenthood Great Plains and Planned Parenthood Great Rivers, both of which operate in Missouri.
The lawsuit states that women were induced to make appointments based on misleading claims and then received abortion pills as a result.
The petition also accuses Planned Parenthood of instructing women to conceal their use of abortion drugs from emergency room providers, thereby increasing the likelihood of misdiagnosis and further medical complications.
“Any abortion pill symptoms,” Planned Parenthood allegedly advised, “look the same as the symptoms of a miscarriage,” and women were told they could withhold information from their doctors if complications arose.
The state is seeking more than $1.8 million in civil penalties for daily violations of Missouri’s consumer protection laws, as well as up to $1,000 in restitution for every Missouri woman who received the abortion pill over the last five years.
Bailey is also requesting a court order to stop Planned Parenthood Federation of America from continuing to promote what he calls “falsehoods” within the state.
The petition claims that Planned Parenthood’s statements comparing Mifepristone to other medications are not only false but are “disingenuous” and illegal under Missouri law.
A May 2025 article published in BioTech, a peer-reviewed international journal, titled “The Origins and Proliferation of Unfounded Comparisons Regarding the Safety of Mifepristone,” is cited in the court filing.
The article criticizes Planned Parenthood’s safety comparisons and states that they fail to account for the significant rate of emergency room visits associated with abortion pills.
The lawsuit further alleges that Planned Parenthood has made these same claims across various platforms, including mailers, press releases, legislative testimony, and litigation.
In addition to soliciting abortions, the site displaying the disputed claims also solicits donations from visitors, including Missourians, potentially compounding the state’s consumer protection concerns.
Bailey asserts that thousands of Missouri women have received abortion pills as a result of Planned Parenthood’s advertising, many of whom later required emergency treatment—costs often borne by the state’s Medicaid program.
The petition contends that by targeting and engaging with Missouri women, Planned Parenthood Federation of America has conducted business within the state and is therefore subject to its laws.
“The lies must stop,” Bailey said. “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.”
