Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey has vowed to fight Planned Parenthood as the abortion giant argues it has the right to help minors cross state lines to obtain abortions in violation of state law.

Voters narrowly approved a right to abortion access within Missouri during the November elections, though lawmakers retained the ability to restrict abortion after fetal viability. The state still requires parental consent and notification for a minor to obtain an abortion.

Bailey previously sued Planned Parenthood Great Plains in February 2024 for allegedly helping minors cross state lines to secure abortions without parental consent. That case is still pending.

For their part, Planned Parenthood, in November filed a suit in state court to enjoin many of the remaining state laws related to abortion, arguing that they ran afoul of the new state constitutional amendment.

The lawsuit specifically cited the need for a minor to obtain parental consent or a court order from a judge as delaying care. The organization further sought additional injunctive relief last week over medication abortion restrictions.

Speaking on the Just the News, No Noise television show on Wednesday, Bailey vowed to “fight back” and even suggested the organization was veering into criminal undertakings and advocacy with its efforts.

"I would expect nothing less from Planned Parenthood. They have a long documented history and pattern of behavior, of defying state health and safety regulations,” he said.

“This is not a legitimate healthcare provider. They're more interested in pushing a radical progressive agenda and the destruction of human life, and at some point, it starts to look more like a criminal enterprise," he added.

“Imagine the audacity of an entity that comes to your state and claims to have a constitutional right to traffic children out of state for dangerous abortions without parental consent,” he added. “We're going to fight back.”

Missouri was one of a handful of states to enact a so-called “trigger ban” after the Supreme Court’s 2022 Dobbs v. Jackson decision overturned the constitutional right to an abortion established in the Roe v. Wade case. Voters in 2024 overturned that ban and litigation continues in both Missouri and other states as the nation adjusts to the post-Roe environment.

Planned Parenthood Great Plains did not respond to requests for comment from Just the News.