Planned Parenthood Appeals Ruling in Case Challenging AG’s Political Investigation into Gender-Affirming Health Care
Contact: Nick Dunne, [email protected]
For Immediate Release: April 19, 2024 (Updated: April 19, 2024, noon)
“Missourians should not have to live in fear of having their essential and lifesaving care dismantled — or their private health information scrutinized by politicians.”
St. Louis, MO — Just now, Planned Parenthood of the St. Louis Region and Southwest Missouri (PPSLR) appealed last week’s ruling by the Circuit Court for the City of St. Louis in PPSLR’s lawsuit against Attorney General Bailey’s civil investigative demand (CID) into gender-affirming care for minors.
While the ruling protected individual patients’ health records from the Attorney General under federal HIPAA guidelines, it also allowed the Attorney General’s meritless and overtly political investigation to continue, at the expense of transgender and gender-expansive youth in Missouri.
Statement from Richard Muniz, interim president and CEO, Planned Parenthood of the St. Louis Region and Southwest Missouri
“Andrew Bailey has weaponized the Attorney General’s office to carry out a political campaign targeting some of Missouri’s most vulnerable — rather than work to promote the health and rights of transgender and gender-expansive Missourians.
“We’re asking the court of appeals to put a halt to Bailey’s pretextual and lawless investigation, because Missourians should not have to live in fear of having their essential and lifesaving care dismantled — or their private health information scrutinized by politicians. Planned Parenthood remains committed to ensuring the rights to privacy and health care are protected. When we said we won’t back down from this sham investigation, we meant it.”
Planned Parenthood provides compassionate, quality care to tens of thousands of patients in Missouri each year, and proudly provides gender-affirming health care to those who want and need it. Planned Parenthood believes all people deserve high-quality, compassionate health care.