Abortions in Missouri are set to resume after a judge blocked restrictive regulations that were in place despite voters approving the enshrinement of abortion rights into the state’s constitution. The regulations included requirements for abortion facilities to be licensed by the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, which included medically unnecessary pelvic exams and size requirements for hallways and rooms. These regulations were deemed discriminatory and a barrier to care by a Kansas City judge. Planned Parenthood and other advocates sued to overturn Missouri’s near-total abortion ban in response to voters amending the constitution to protect reproductive rights.
Missouri is one of five states where voters approved measures to enshrine abortion rights in their constitutions in 2024. The ruling allowing abortions to resume is temporary pending the outcome of the lawsuit by abortion-rights advocates. Clinic partners are ready to start providing abortions as soon as next week, which will increase access to abortion care for Missourians and the Midwest region. Missouri’s constitutional amendment allows lawmakers to restrict abortion after viability with exceptions to protect the pregnant person’s life or health. The term “viability” generally refers to a pregnancy past the 21st week.
Missouri was among the first states to implement a restriction on most abortions after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the Roe v. Wade decision in 2022. Planned Parenthood Great Rivers is working quickly to begin providing abortions again, and the ruling has been applauded by advocates as a step towards increased access to abortion care for patients in Missouri and the Midwest region.
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