In a significant victory for abortion rights in Missouri, a judge has ruled to block regulations that had restricted abortion providers, even after voters approved enshrining abortion rights into the state's constitution. This ruling allows abortion services to resume in the state.
Two young boys, Dexter and Declan, brightened the morning of patients at Children’s Memorial Hermann Hospital by distributing Valentines. Meanwhile, in Missouri, abortion services are set to resume following a judge's ruling that struck down regulations that had restricted providers, even after voters approved enshrining abortion rights into the state's constitution.
Last year, Missouri had declared that abortions were legal but maintained certain regulations while a lawsuit by abortion-rights advocates was underway. This meant abortion facilities were still required to be licensed by the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services. Planned Parenthood argued that the licensing law mandated providers to conduct “medically unnecessary and invasive” pelvic exams for anyone receiving an abortion, including medication abortions, according to court documents. It also included “medically irrelevant” size requirements for hallways, rooms, and doors. The plaintiffs stated that some of the regulations on Planned Parenthood centers were so stringent, “most health centers or doctors’ offices simply do not meet” them. Jackson County Circuit Judge Jerri Zhang, in her ruling, asserted that the licensing requirement is “facially discriminatory” because it does not treat services provided in abortion facilities the same as other types of similarly situated health care, including miscarriage care. Missouri voters amended their constitution in November, adding abortion rights. This amendment didn't immediately legalize abortion but required judges to re-examine laws that had effectively banned the procedure. Planned Parenthood and other advocates promptly sued to overturn Missouri's near-total abortion ban after voters amended the constitution to protect reproductive rights. Republican Attorney General Andrew Bailey is contesting the lawsuit. There was no immediate response to a voice message seeking comment from a spokesperson for the attorney general. Margot Riphagen, president, and CEO of Planned Parenthood Great Rivers, stated that the organization is working diligently to restart providing the procedure within the next few days. “Today’s decision affirms what we’ve already long known — the state’s abortion facility licensing requirements were not about patient safety, but rather another politically motivated barrier to prevent patients seeking abortion from getting the care they need,” she said in a statement. Other states, such as Nevada, also voted in 2024 to embed abortion rights in their constitutions. Nevada voters approved an amendment but will need to pass it again in 2026 for it to take effect. Friday's ruling is a temporary order pending the outcome of the lawsuit by abortion-rights advocates. Mallory Schwarz, executive director of Abortion Action Missouri, said clinic partners are prepared to begin providing abortions as soon as next week. “With this change, the landscape for Missourians and the entire Midwest region will be transformed, as patients will have greater access to abortion care than they have had in years,” she said in a statement. Missouri’s constitutional amendment allows lawmakers to restrict abortion after viability with exceptions to “protect the life or physical or mental health of the pregnant person.” The term “viability” is used by healthcare providers to describe whether a pregnancy is expected to continue developing normally or whether a fetus might survive outside the uterus. While there is no defined timeframe, doctors say it is generally sometime after the..
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