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Planned Parenthood and the American Civil Liberties Union are suing the state of Missouri to stop a law that bans abortions beyond the eighth week of pregnancy from taking effect Aug. 28. The organizations allege in the federal lawsuit filed Tuesday that the abortion bill signed in May by Missouri Gov. Mike Parson that does not include exceptions in cases of rape or incest is part of an "unrelenting campaign to deny patients the health care they seek and to which they are entitled." (7/30)

“Extreme legislators are really pushing to find any way possible to outlaw abortion in the state,” said Colleen McNicholas, chief medical officer of Planned Parenthood of the St. Louis Region and Southwest Missouri. Among the defendants named in the lawsuit are Republican Gov. Mike Parson, Attorney General Eric Schmitt and Randall Williams, director of the state Department of Health and Senior Services. The Republican-controlled Legislature passed HB 126 in May. Parson signed it over objections from abortion-rights activists, Democratic lawmakers and Republican megadonor David Humphreys. (Fentem, 7/30)

"By imposing a ban on abortion prior to viability, the 8-Week Ban violates Plaintiffs' patients' rights to privacy and liberty guaranteed by the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution," the groups wrote. The challenge joins several others by abortion rights supporters in response to laws passed this year restricting abortion in Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Indiana and Ohio. (Kelly, 7/30)

Planned Parenthood's new president said Tuesday that the organization has been “politicized” by abortion opponents and that it is first and foremost a health group. “We are primarily a health care provider. We provide access to sexual and reproductive health, in some cases primary care,” Alexis McGill Johnson told CBS News in her first interview since becoming head of Planned Parenthood. (Pitofsky, 7/30)

The head of Planned Parenthood in Southern New England said employees across the region’s 17 clinics are undaunted by threats to the nonprofit’s federal funding, and she pledged not to let attacks from government leaders interfere with the group’s mission. Amanda Skinner’s remarks on Tuesday came days after the Trump administration began enforcing new regulations that prohibit Title X grant recipients from counseling patients about abortion. (Carlesso, 7/30)

While Georgia’s population has ballooned in recent decades, the number of abortions dropped more than 18% in 23 years, according to state records, much of it due to increased access to birth control, experts say. Anti-abortion activists and lawmakers motivated by the desire to stop even one abortion from occurring in the state passed legislation earlier this year that all but outlaws the procedure as early as six weeks into pregnancy. (Prabhu, 7/30)