Contact: Troy Newman, President, 316-841-1700; Cheryl Sullenger, Senior Policy Advisor, 316-516-3034; both with Operation Rescue, info@operationrescue.org

KANSAS CITY, Missouri, Sept. 12 /Christian Newswire/ -- Missouri abortionists argued during a day-long hearing in Federal Court on Monday, that they should be allowed to maintain unsafe conditions at their abortion offices.

Missouri enacted legislation earlier this year that would require abortion clinics to meet minimum safety standards. Planned Parenthood of Kansas and Mid-Missouri and a Missouri abortionist are challenging the law, claiming that it would be too costly to renovate their facilities in order to comply with the new safety standards, forcing all but one Missouri abortion mill to close.

Abortionist Allen Palmer brought in an architect who told the court that it would take $1.1 million to bring Palmer's abortion facility up to the new codes.

"One could build a palatial mansion in Missouri for $1.1 million," said Operation Rescue President Troy Newman. "If Palmer's mill is that big of a dump that it would require that much money to meet minimum safety standards, he shouldn't be operating."

"These abortionists want to maintain unsafe conditions in order to save money," said Newman. "That really tells you where their priorities are, and it is not with the health and safety of women. Abortionists want special treatment and exemption from the same laws that every other medical professional must follow. It is because they know if they have to be accountable, they would not be able to continue their shady practices or maintain their profit margins."

Newman knows first hand what unregulated abortion clinics look like. Last year, Operation Rescue bought and closed Central Women's Services in Wichita, Kansas, an abortion mill that had never been inspected in its 23-year existence. They discovered appallingly filthy and unsafe conditions, which were documented on video. (Click here to view what an uninspected and unregulated abortion clinic looks like.)

"We don't support clinic regulations as an end of the matter, but if laws like this can close these horrific abortion mills, we are all for them," said Newman. "Every human life has value and worth, and while we work toward the goal of total abolition, we recognize that the babies who are scheduled to die today need every protection they can get now."

U.S. District Judge Ortrie Smith is scheduled to issue a ruling on the standards law by September 24. In the meantime, a temporary injunction is blocking the law from being enforced.

Operation Rescue is one of the leading pro-life Christian activist organizations in the nation.  Operation Rescue recently made headlines when it bought and closed an abortion clinic in Wichita, Kansas and has become the voice of the pro-life activist movement in America.  Its activities are on the cutting edge of the abortion issue, taking direct action to restore legal personhood to the pre-born and stop abortion in obedience to biblical mandates.