Missouri’s state legislature has a reputation for enacting policies and laws that run counter to the will of the people. Despite voters approving a constitutional amendment allowing abortion in the state, the Missouri state legislature implemented multiple laws that continued to effectively ban abortion in the state. After months of deliberation, a Missouri judge struck down several laws that restricted abortion access in the state.
According to AP, Jackson County Circuit Judge Jerri Zhang’s ruling found that 40 different Missouri laws conflicted with the voter-approved amendment to the state constitution allowing abortion in the state. Among the restrictions that Zhang overturned were a requirement that women seeking an abortion see a doctor in person twice at least 72 hours apart, and another that required women to take the first dose of an abortion pill in front of a doctor.
After the U.S. Supreme Court killed Roe v. Wade through the Dobbs decision, Missouri implemented a trigger ban that criminalized abortion in the state. The abortion ban was short-lived, though, as Missouri became the first state where voters reversed an abortion ban through a constitutional amendment in 2024.
Missouri Governor Mike Kehoe spoke out against the ruling in a social media post. “Yesterday’s ruling in Jackson County is disappointing, dangerous, and puts the safety of Missouri women in jeopardy,” Kehoe said in the post.
“Missourians do not support this irresponsible reversal of patient safety standards. Now more than ever, it’s critical for Missourians to vote YES on Amendment 3 in November and make it abundantly clear that our state stands for life and the protection of mothers.”
I mean, by virtue of voting to allow abortion in the state, Missourians objectively do support the ruling. It’s wild that Kehoe has the audacity to bring up patient safety, considering how Missouri’s maternal mortality rate is significantly higher than the national average, with Black women in Missouri 2.5 times more likely to die from pregnancy-related causes compared to white women.
Abortion bans like the one pursued by Missouri have also led to an increase in infant mortality rates. These abortion bans are not about protecting women’s health; they’re about control. That’s not an opinion; that’s literally what the data has shown.
Considering how long they’ve had to fight against the state legislature, it comes as no surprise that abortion activists in Missouri celebrated the ruling.
“For too long, politicians forced patients to leave the state for an evidence-based and trusted form of abortion care,” Emily Wales, president and CEO of Comprehensive Health of Planned Parenthood Great Plains, said in a statement. “Now, that care is coming home and with it, we move closer to fulfilling the promise of reproductive freedom Missourians demanded.”
Planned Parenthood said that they will begin taking appointments this week and will begin prescribing medical abortion pills for the first time in Missouri since 2018.
Since this is Missouri, of course, this won’t be the end of the story. Missouri’s Attorney General Catherine Hanaway said she intends to appeal Zhang’s ruling. “This is exactly the Pandora’s box we warned of, and the women of Missouri will pay the price,” Hanaway said in a statement.
In addition to Hanaway’s planned appeal, abortion will once again be on the ballot in Missouri this November, as the state legislature introduced a ballot initiative that would reverse the constitutional amendment. It’s wild how Missouri’s state legislature has dedicated itself to going against the will of the people.
SEE ALSO:
Missouri Abortion Ban Struck Down By Judge…Again
Missouri Supreme Court Reinstates Voter-Repealed Abortion Ban
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