Missouri Allows Inmate Abortions

The state of Missouri must give imprisoned pregnant women the opportunity to get abortions and transport them to clinics that carry out the procedure, a federal judge ruled Tuesday.

The decision made by U.S. District Judge Dean Whipple stems from a Supreme Court ruling in October that allowed a specific inmate, Jane Roe, to have an abortion.

After the October judgment, the American Civil Liberties Union sought a federal ruling to make the Supreme Court’s decision applicable to all female inmates in Missouri.

Whipple granted prisoners’ right to abortion on Tuesday, a decision that has stirred some debate.

According to ACLU attorney Tom Blumenthal, Tuesday’s ruling affirmed two principles including: “The rights of prisoners to their constitutional rights while they are incarcerated and the rights of pregnant women to have the choice as to whether they will carry (pregnancy) the term or not.”

However Gov. Matt Blunt urges the states Attorney General Jay Nixon to appeal the verdict. “This ruling violates our traditional Missouri values and is an affront to everyone that values the sanctity of human life,” Blunt said.

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