JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – Attorney General Eric Schmitt immediately said he will be asking the Supreme Court to review a case after a federal appeals court blocked Missouri’s eight-week abortion ban on Wednesday.

After the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a lower court’s decision to impose a preliminary injunction on the abortion ban, Schmitt wasted no time in vowing to continue the fight.

“My son Stephen has shown me the inherent beauty and dignity in all life, especially those with special needs,” Schmitt said in a statement. 

“While we’re disappointed in the 8th Circuit’s decision, their decision does provide an avenue for this case to be heard by the Supreme Court, and we plan to seek review in the Supreme Court. I have never and will never stop fighting to ensure that all life is protected.”

In May 2019, Gov. Mike Parson signed the Missouri Stands for the Unborn Act into law a bill banning abortions after eight weeks of pregnancy or if a parent is seeking an abortion solely due to a prenatal diagnosis of Down Syndrome. 

The law also aimed to make physicians who perform abortions after eight weeks serve five to 15 years in prison. 

The day before the Missouri Stands for the Unborn Act was implemented in 2019, U.S. District Judge Howard Sachs sided with plaintiffs – Planned Parenthood and the ACLU, among others – and issued a temporary restraining order on the law “pending litigation or further order of the court.” 

That legal battle still continues as Missourians wait to see if the most recent decision will be sent up the ladder to the Supreme Court.