KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt vowed Friday to file a lawsuit in the case of any city or county in Missouri using tax money on abortions.
In his reasoning, Schmitt cited RSMo. 188.205: “It shall be unlawful for any public funds to be expended for the purpose of performing or assisting an abortion, not necessary to see the life of the mother, or for the purpose of encouraging or counseling a woman to have an abortion not necessary to save her life.”
Schmitt specifically pointed out St. Louis and Kansas City, Missouri, as areas he is willing to file suit against.
“Using hard-earned taxpayer dollars, whether it be ARPA funds or other forms of revenue, to fund abortions is plainly illegal under Missouri law. St. Louis City and County, and Kansas City, and any others who attempt to authorize taxpayer-funded abortions will be met with a lawsuit from the Missouri Attorney General’s Office,” Schmitt said in a statement.
In a separate post on his campaign social media account, Schmitt commented that working families are struggling to afford food and gas while leaders in KC and St. Louis “want to spend those hard earned tax dollars on abortions.”
Working families are struggling to pay for gas & food. They fork over their hard earned money in taxes & now St Louis & KC “leaders” want to spend those hard earned tax dollars on abortions. No way. Any attempt to do so by cities or counties in Missouri will be met with a lawsuit
— Eric Schmitt (@Eric_Schmitt) July 1, 2022
KCMO Mayor Quinton Lucas issued a passionate response to Schmitt’s threat to file suit.
“Using hard-earned taxpayer dollars, whether it be ARPA funds or other forms of revenue, to fund nonsensical threats and meritless lawsuits violates the state attorney general’s ethical obligations as a Missouri attorney,” Lucas said in a statement. “We will continue to proudly and unabashedly stand up for the freedom of Missouri women and Missouri families to make private healthcare decisions. Kansas City’s lawful resolutions are but one step in doing so. We wish the state attorney general well in his ongoing effort to become the most popular Eric in the campaign for U.S. Senate.”
In his reasoning, Lucas stated a different passage of legislation.
Lucas used Missouri Supreme Court Rule 4-3.1, Sentence 1 to prove his point: “A lawyer shall not bring or defend a proceeding, or assert or controvert an issue therein, unless there is a basis in law and fact for doing so that is not frivolous, which includes a good faith argument for an extension, modification, or reversal of existing law.”
Countering Schmitt’s point that taxpayers’ dollars would be wasted on abortion, Lucas raised questions about using “taxpayer dollars to fund threats and potentially wasteful litigation.”
Thursday, the KCMO City Council voted 10-2 to pass a resolution in which a $300 travel stipend would be available to KCMO city employees seeking abortion services.
KCMO City Manager Brian Platt will soon begin negotiations with the Health Care Trust before reporting the plan back to the council for approval.
