Missouri Governor Mike Parson said on Tuesday he has granted pardons to Mark and Patricia McCloskey, the St. Louis couple who drew international attention for brandishing guns at racial justice protesters last year.

In addition to the McCloskeys, who are personal injury lawyers, the Republican governor also pardoned 10 other people on Friday, a document from his office showed.

Parson, a Republican,&nbsp;pardoned Mark McCloskey, who&nbsp;pleaded guilty&nbsp;in June to misdemeanor fourth-degree assault and was fined $750, and Patricia McCloskey, who pleaded guilty to misdemeanor harassment and was fined $2,000.

The McCloskeys, both lawyers in their 60s, said they felt threatened by the protesters, who were&nbsp;passing their home&nbsp;in June 2020 on their way to demonstrate in front of the mayor’s house nearby in one of hundreds of similar demonstrations around the country after the killing of George Floyd, a Black man, by a white Minneapolis police officer.

The couple also said the group was trespassing on a private street.

Mark McCloskey emerged from his home with an AR-15-style rifle, and Patricia McCloskey waved a semiautomatic pistol, according to the indictment. Photos and cellphone video captured the confrontation, which drew widespread attention and made the couple heroes to some and villains to others.

A St. Louis grand jury indicted the couple on felony unlawful use of a weapon and tampering charges four months after the incident.

Because the charges were misdemeanors, the McCloskeys did not face the possibility of losing their law licenses or their rights to own firearms.

Last July, then-President Donald Trump, a Republican, said charging the couple was an abuse of power.

In a live broadcast, the McCloskeys spoke from their home at the Republican National Convention in August. Mark McCloskey announced last month he was running for a US&nbsp;Senate seat in Missouri as a Republican.

(With inputs from agencies)

Missouri Governor Mike Parson said on Tuesday he has granted pardons to Mark and Patricia McCloskey, the St. Louis couple who drew international attention for brandishing guns at racial justice protesters last year.

Missouri Governor Mike Parson said on Tuesday he has granted pardons to Mark and Patricia McCloskey, the St. Louis couple who drew international attention for brandishing guns at racial justice protesters last year. In addition to the McCloskeys, who are personal injury lawyers, the Republican governor also pardoned 10 other people on Friday, a document from his office showed. Parson, a Republican, pardoned Mark McCloskey, who pleaded guilty in June to misdemeanor fourth-degree assault and was fined $750, and Patricia McCloskey, who pleaded guilty to misdemeanor harassment and was fined $2,000. The McCloskeys, both lawyers in their 60s, said they felt threatened by the protesters, who were passing their home in June 2020 on their way to demonstrate in front of the mayor’s house nearby in one of hundreds of similar demonstrations around the country after the killing of George Floyd, a Black man, by a white Minneapolis police officer. The couple also said the group was trespassing on a private street. Mark McCloskey emerged from his home with an AR-15-style rifle, and Patricia McCloskey waved a semiautomatic pistol, according to the indictment. Photos and cellphone video captured the confrontation, which drew widespread attention and made the couple heroes to some and villains to others. A St. Louis grand jury indicted the couple on felony unlawful use of a weapon and tampering charges four months after the incident. Because the charges were misdemeanors, the McCloskeys did not face the possibility of losing their law licenses or their rights to own firearms. Last July, then-President Donald Trump, a Republican, said charging the couple was an abuse of power. In a live broadcast, the McCloskeys spoke from their home at the Republican National Convention in August. Mark McCloskey announced last month he was running for a US Senate seat in Missouri as a Republican. (With inputs from agencies)

Missouri Governor Mike Parson pardons St. Louis lawyer couple who brandished guns at protesters

Opponents of a&nbsp;new&nbsp;law&nbsp;in&nbsp;Missouri&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/missouris-sole-abortion-clinic-awaits-ruling-on-whether-it-can-stay-open-231189">restricting most&nbsp;abortions</a> after eight weeks of pregnancy will ask a federal judge on Monday to stop the&nbsp;law&nbsp;from taking effect this week.

Abortion&nbsp;rights&nbsp;groups&nbsp;Planned Parenthood and the American Civil Liberties Union filed a federal&nbsp;lawsuit in July and want a judge to put the&nbsp;law&nbsp;on hold until their legal challenge is heard in&nbsp;court.

The&nbsp;new&nbsp;law, signed by Republican Governor Mike Parson in May and set to take effect on Wednesday, allows for an&nbsp;abortion&nbsp;after the eighth week only in the case of medical emergencies and does not exempt victims of rape or incest.

The&nbsp;law&nbsp;is one of the most restrictive in the United States and activists say it effectively forbids most&nbsp;abortions since many women do not know they are pregnant yet at eight weeks.

The 31-page complaint filed in the&nbsp;US District&nbsp;Court&nbsp;for the Western District of&nbsp;Missouri&nbsp;contends that the legislation is unconstitutional.

"Without this relief, the bans will have a devastating effect on patients seeking access to&nbsp;abortion&nbsp;in the state,"&nbsp;lawyers wrote in the complaint. 
In a perennially divisive moral and political&nbsp;fight, similar&nbsp;laws have been proposed in more than a dozen other&nbsp;US states as Republican-controlled legislatures flex their muscles.

Efforts to roll back Roe v. Wade, the&nbsp;US Supreme&nbsp;Court&nbsp;decision legalizing&nbsp;abortion&nbsp;in 1973, have been emboldened by two appointments by President Donald Trump giving conservatives a solid majority on the&nbsp;court.

Parson said in May the&nbsp;new&nbsp;law&nbsp;would make&nbsp;Missouri&nbsp;"one of the strongest pro-life states in the country."

The plaintiffs in the&nbsp;Missouri&nbsp;complaint said the&nbsp;law&nbsp;conflicts with more than four decades of binding precedent, would prohibit "the vast majority of pre-viability&nbsp;abortions", and denied patients healthcare they were entitled to.

Currently, the state&nbsp;law&nbsp;allows&nbsp;abortions up until 22 weeks of pregnancy.

Attorneys for the governor's office, the ACLU and Planned Parenthood were not available for comment early on Monday.

Opponents of a new law in Missouri restricting most abortions after eight weeks of pregnancy will ask a federal judge on Monday to stop the law from taking effect this week.

Opponents of a new law in Missouri restricting most abortions after eight weeks of pregnancy will ask a federal judge on Monday to stop the law from taking effect this week. Abortion rights groups Planned Parenthood and the American Civil Liberties Union filed a federal lawsuit in July and want a judge to put the law on hold until their legal challenge is heard in court. The new law, signed by Republican Governor Mike Parson in May and set to take effect on Wednesday, allows for an abortion after the eighth week only in the case of medical emergencies and does not exempt victims of rape or incest. The law is one of the most restrictive in the United States and activists say it effectively forbids most abortions since many women do not know they are pregnant yet at eight weeks. The 31-page complaint filed in the US District Court for the Western District of Missouri contends that the legislation is unconstitutional. "Without this relief, the bans will have a devastating effect on patients seeking access to abortion in the state," lawyers wrote in the complaint. In a perennially divisive moral and political fight, similar laws have been proposed in more than a dozen other US states as Republican-controlled legislatures flex their muscles. Efforts to roll back Roe v. Wade, the US Supreme Court decision legalizing abortion in 1973, have been emboldened by two appointments by President Donald Trump giving conservatives a solid majority on the court. Parson said in May the new law would make Missouri "one of the strongest pro-life states in the country." The plaintiffs in the Missouri complaint said the law conflicts with more than four decades of binding precedent, would prohibit "the vast majority of pre-viability abortions", and denied patients healthcare they were entitled to. Currently, the state law allows abortions up until 22 weeks of pregnancy. Attorneys for the governor's office, the ACLU and Planned Parenthood were not available for comment early on Monday.

US abortion rights groups fight new Missouri law in court

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and Planned Parenthood filed a lawsuit on Friday challenging a law enacted by Alabama last week that bans nearly all abortions and makes performing the procedure a felony punishable by up to 99 years in prison.

The lawsuit is one of several the groups have filed or are preparing to file against states that recently passed strict anti-abortion measures in an effort to prompt the US&nbsp;Supreme Court to overturn Roe v. Wade, the 1973 landmark case that guarantees a woman's constitutional right to abortion.

On Friday, Missouri Governor Mike Parson, a Republican, signed a bill into law that bans abortion beginning in the eighth week of pregnancy. In Mississippi, a federal judge blocked a law that would ban abortions once an embryonic heartbeat is detected, which can occur at six weeks after conception.

"This dangerous, immoral, and unconstitutional ban threatens people's lives and well-being and we are using to protect our patients' rights," Leana Wen, president of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America, a women's healthcare and abortion provider, said in a statement.

The ACLU's Alabama chapter and Planned Parenthood of America filed their complaint in federal court in<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/hundreds-protest-strict-alabama-abortion-law-220009"> Alabama</a> on behalf of the Southern state's three abortion clinics and Planned Parenthood Southeast.

Anti-abortion advocates expected legal challenges to Alabama's new law, which will be the most restrictive in the nation when it takes effect in November, and say they welcome the chance to have a court test their conviction that a fetus' right to life is paramount.

Mississippi joined Georgia, Kentucky and Ohio earlier this year in outlawing abortion after a doctor can detect an embryonic heartbeat.

In granting the preliminary injunction on Friday, US&nbsp;District Judge Carlton Reeves wrote that the Mississippi law, which was scheduled to take effect on July 1, would prevent a woman's free choice "which is central to personal dignity and autonomy."

The measure was challenged in court on behalf of the Jackson Women's Health Organization, the state's lone abortion facility.

The ACLU and Planned Parenthood obtained an injunction from a judge in March blocking Kentucky's abortion ban. The two organizations have filed lawsuits in Ohio and are preparing a legal fight in Georgia, they said in a statement on Friday.

The wave of anti-abortion legislation reflects a boost of confidence among anti-abortion advocates after Republican <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/trump-says-pro-life-but-favors-exceptions-for-rape-incest-219867">President Donald Trump</a> nominated two conservative judges, Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh, to the Supreme Court, tilting the court's political balance to the right.

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and Planned Parenthood filed a lawsuit on Friday challenging a law enacted by Alabama last week that bans nearly all abortions and makes performing the procedure a felony punishable by up to 99 years in prison.

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and Planned Parenthood filed a lawsuit on Friday challenging a law enacted by Alabama last week that bans nearly all abortions and makes performing the procedure a felony punishable by up to 99 years in prison. The lawsuit is one of several the groups have filed or are preparing to file against states that recently passed strict anti-abortion measures in an effort to prompt the US Supreme Court to overturn Roe v. Wade, the 1973 landmark case that guarantees a woman's constitutional right to abortion. On Friday, Missouri Governor Mike Parson, a Republican, signed a bill into law that bans abortion beginning in the eighth week of pregnancy. In Mississippi, a federal judge blocked a law that would ban abortions once an embryonic heartbeat is detected, which can occur at six weeks after conception. "This dangerous, immoral, and unconstitutional ban threatens people's lives and well-being and we are using to protect our patients' rights," Leana Wen, president of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America, a women's healthcare and abortion provider, said in a statement. The ACLU's Alabama chapter and Planned Parenthood of America filed their complaint in federal court in Alabama on behalf of the Southern state's three abortion clinics and Planned Parenthood Southeast. Anti-abortion advocates expected legal challenges to Alabama's new law, which will be the most restrictive in the nation when it takes effect in November, and say they welcome the chance to have a court test their conviction that a fetus' right to life is paramount. Mississippi joined Georgia, Kentucky and Ohio earlier this year in outlawing abortion after a doctor can detect an embryonic heartbeat. In granting the preliminary injunction on Friday, US District Judge Carlton Reeves wrote that the Mississippi law, which was scheduled to take effect on July 1, would prevent a woman's free choice "which is central to personal dignity and autonomy." The measure was challenged in court on behalf of the Jackson Women's Health Organization, the state's lone abortion facility. The ACLU and Planned Parenthood obtained an injunction from a judge in March blocking Kentucky's abortion ban. The two organizations have filed lawsuits in Ohio and are preparing a legal fight in Georgia, they said in a statement on Friday. The wave of anti-abortion legislation reflects a boost of confidence among anti-abortion advocates after Republican President Donald Trump nominated two conservative judges, Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh, to the Supreme Court, tilting the court's political balance to the right.

Groups sue over Alabama abortion law; judge blocks Mississippi ban

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/missouri-senate-passes-bill-to-ban-abortions-after-eight-weeks-219305">Missouri lawmakers </a>passed a bill on Friday that prohibits women from seeking an abortion after the eighth week of pregnancy, days after Alabama enacted the most restrictive abortion law in the United States.

The legislation allows for an abortion after the eighth week only in the case of medical emergencies. On Wednesday, Alabama banned abortions at any time, with the same exception.

Similar laws have been proposed in more than a dozen other states as Republican-controlled legislatures push to restrict the rights of women to terminate their pregnancies.

The state's Republican governor, Mike Parson, is expected to sign the bill into law. He has said he would make Missouri "one of the strongest pro-life states in the country."

Missouri's House of Representatives gave its final legislative approval in a 110-44 vote after protesters were removed from the public gallery. Missouri senators overwhelmingly approved the legislation on Thursday.

"Today, the Missouri House stood for the unborn," the speaker of the house, Elijah Haahr, said in a statement. "The bold legislation we sent to the Governor's desk is the strongest and most comprehensive pro-life bill in the country."

Opposing the bill, Dr Leana Wen, president of Planned Parenthood Action Fund, said it was a "terrifying time" for women in America.

"Planned Parenthood will not sit by and watch as politicians take our rights and freedoms to women's health care away," Wen said in a statement. "We will fight in Missouri, Georgia, Alabama, and everywhere else politicians interfere with medical care because women’s health care is health care and health care is a human right."

Renewed efforts to roll back Roe v. Wade, the landmark US&nbsp;Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion nationwide in 1973, have been emboldened by two judicial appointments by President Donald Trump that have given conservatives a solid majority on the court.

At a time when US&nbsp;rates of abortion have sharply declined, the appointments have put fresh energy into the political struggle between religious conservatives and others who those who believe foetuses should have comparable rights to those of babies after birth, and those who see such restrictions as an infringement on women's rights.

The re-energized debate coincides with the run-up to the 2020 US&nbsp;presidential election. Abortion-rights activists argue that rolling back 45 years of legal precedent to criminalize abortion would endanger women who seek dangerous illegal abortions.

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&nbsp;

HEALTH RISK?

The US&nbsp;abortion rights activists have vowed to go to court to block enforcement of the Alabama law, which is scheduled to take effect in six months.

The Missouri bill passed the Senate on Thursday in a party-line vote, with 24 Republicans supporting it and 10 Democrats opposed.

In common with the Alabama bill, it would outlaw abortion even in the case of rape or incest and make violations by doctors punishable by prison sentences.

The measure would not make women who seek out the procedure subject to criminal prosecution, although opponents of the statute said it was ambiguous about the criminal liability of a woman accused of inducing her own miscarriage.

The measure also would ban abortions altogether except for medical emergencies should the Supreme Court overturn Roe v. Wade.

As of May, lawmakers have introduced legislation to restrict abortions in at least 16 states this year. Governors in four have signed bills into law banning the procedure if an embryonic heartbeat can be detected, generally considered to be as early as six weeks.

Some Republicans pushing for abortion restrictions acknowledge they are deliberately doing so to instigate court challenges that will ultimately force the Supreme Court to reconsider Roe v. Wade.

The ruling held that the due process clause of the 14th Amendment provides a fundamental right to privacy that protects a woman's right to abortion.

It also allowed states to place restrictions on the procedure from the time a foetus could viably survive outside the womb. The opinion stated that viability is usually placed at about seven months, or 28 weeks, but may occur earlier.

Missouri lawmakers passed a bill on Friday that prohibits women from seeking an abortion after the eighth week of pregnancy, days after Alabama enacted the most restrictive abortion law in the United States.

Missouri lawmakers passed a bill on Friday that prohibits women from seeking an abortion after the eighth week of pregnancy, days after Alabama enacted the most restrictive abortion law in the United States. The legislation allows for an abortion after the eighth week only in the case of medical emergencies. On Wednesday, Alabama banned abortions at any time, with the same exception. Similar laws have been proposed in more than a dozen other states as Republican-controlled legislatures push to restrict the rights of women to terminate their pregnancies. The state's Republican governor, Mike Parson, is expected to sign the bill into law. He has said he would make Missouri "one of the strongest pro-life states in the country." Missouri's House of Representatives gave its final legislative approval in a 110-44 vote after protesters were removed from the public gallery. Missouri senators overwhelmingly approved the legislation on Thursday. "Today, the Missouri House stood for the unborn," the speaker of the house, Elijah Haahr, said in a statement. "The bold legislation we sent to the Governor's desk is the strongest and most comprehensive pro-life bill in the country." Opposing the bill, Dr Leana Wen, president of Planned Parenthood Action Fund, said it was a "terrifying time" for women in America. "Planned Parenthood will not sit by and watch as politicians take our rights and freedoms to women's health care away," Wen said in a statement. "We will fight in Missouri, Georgia, Alabama, and everywhere else politicians interfere with medical care because women’s health care is health care and health care is a human right." Renewed efforts to roll back Roe v. Wade, the landmark US Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion nationwide in 1973, have been emboldened by two judicial appointments by President Donald Trump that have given conservatives a solid majority on the court. At a time when US rates of abortion have sharply declined, the appointments have put fresh energy into the political struggle between religious conservatives and others who those who believe foetuses should have comparable rights to those of babies after birth, and those who see such restrictions as an infringement on women's rights. The re-energized debate coincides with the run-up to the 2020 US presidential election. Abortion-rights activists argue that rolling back 45 years of legal precedent to criminalize abortion would endanger women who seek dangerous illegal abortions. × HEALTH RISK? The US abortion rights activists have vowed to go to court to block enforcement of the Alabama law, which is scheduled to take effect in six months. The Missouri bill passed the Senate on Thursday in a party-line vote, with 24 Republicans supporting it and 10 Democrats opposed. In common with the Alabama bill, it would outlaw abortion even in the case of rape or incest and make violations by doctors punishable by prison sentences. The measure would not make women who seek out the procedure subject to criminal prosecution, although opponents of the statute said it was ambiguous about the criminal liability of a woman accused of inducing her own miscarriage. The measure also would ban abortions altogether except for medical emergencies should the Supreme Court overturn Roe v. Wade. As of May, lawmakers have introduced legislation to restrict abortions in at least 16 states this year. Governors in four have signed bills into law banning the procedure if an embryonic heartbeat can be detected, generally considered to be as early as six weeks. Some Republicans pushing for abortion restrictions acknowledge they are deliberately doing so to instigate court challenges that will ultimately force the Supreme Court to reconsider Roe v. Wade. The ruling held that the due process clause of the 14th Amendment provides a fundamental right to privacy that protects a woman's right to abortion. It also allowed states to place restrictions on the procedure from the time a foetus could viably survive outside the womb. The opinion stated that viability is usually placed at about seven months, or 28 weeks, but may occur earlier.

Missouri follows Alabama by passing restrictive abortion bill

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Missouri Governor Mike Parson pardons St. Louis lawyer couple who brandished guns at protesters

US abortion rights groups fight new Missouri law in court

Groups sue over Alabama abortion law; judge blocks Mississippi ban

Missouri follows Alabama by passing restrictive abortion bill