JEFFERSON CITY - In a stunning but welcome development, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch has joined the Missouri Republican Party in calling for pro-abortion candidate Jay Nixon to stop defending a pro-life law because of his self-admitted conflict of interest in the case brought by abortion-provider Planned Parenthood.

“ Mr. Nixon has refused to step down, even though in a similar case in 1999, Mr. Nixon agreed to hire an outside lawyer to sue Planned Parenthood, explaining, `I’m pro-choice, I have a conflict.’ Missouri’s new law is unduly restrictive, but Mr. Nixon was right in 1999. He had a conflict then, and he still has it. He should step aside and hire impartial outside counsel,” the newspaper said in an editorial in today’s editions.

Nixon was fired by the Department of Health and Senior Services in light of his conflict of interest but the pro-abortion Democrat continues to interfere in the case including filing of a brief supporting Planned Parenthood’s assertion that the department should not be represented by independent, outside attorneys. To make matters worse, a judge already has ruled in favor of Planned Parenthood by halting the enactment of the pro-life law after Nixon failed miserably in defending it.

“It is refreshing to see the media join with Missouri Republicans in calling for pro-abortion candidate Nixon to remove himself from this case because of his inherent conflict of trying to defend a pro-life law. Obviously, the recent court ruling in favor of Planned Parenthood shows that Nixon is not doing his job,” said Paul Sloca, communications director for the Missouri Republican Party. “We again call for Jay Nixon to immediately recuse himself from this case so that the pro-life majority in Missouri can be adequately defended as this issue makes its way through the courts.”