A Missouri judge this week struck down dozens of state laws limiting abortion access, determining that those laws conflict with a constitutional amendment that state voters approved in 2024.
Many of the restrictions had already been put on hold following an earlier preliminary court decision. But the latest ruling carries a significant new consequence: the two Planned Parenthood affiliates operating in Missouri announced they will begin prescribing abortion pills to patients in the state for the first time since 2018.
While the decision marks a clear win for abortion rights supporters, it is not the final chapter. Both an appeal and another ballot measure are expected to follow.
Jackson County Circuit Judge Jerri Zhang issued the ruling Thursday, several months after presiding over a 10-day trial on the matter earlier this year. She reviewed 40 separate state laws to determine whether they conflicted with the 2024 constitutional amendment, and in the majority of cases, she sided with abortion rights groups over the state government, which had argued the laws should remain in force.
Among the provisions she struck down was a rule requiring women seeking an abortion to visit a doctor in person on two separate occasions at least 72 hours apart. She also eliminated a requirement that the first dose of abortion pills — the most common method of obtaining an abortion — be taken in the presence of the prescribing physician.
However, the judge did uphold a requirement that patients visit a doctor in person to confirm how far along the pregnancy is and to rule out an ectopic pregnancy.
Missouri became the first state in the country to enforce a complete ban on abortions at all stages of pregnancy following the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2022 decision overturning Roe v. Wade. Even before that ban took effect, existing laws had already made abortion largely inaccessible for many women in the state.
In 2024, Missouri voters made the state the first to pass a constitutional amendment reversing such a ban, permitting abortions up until fetal viability — generally considered to be sometime after 21 weeks of pregnancy, though no fixed point is defined. The two Planned Parenthood affiliates in the state filed a lawsuit to dismantle remaining abortion restrictions shortly after voters approved that amendment.
Following this week’s ruling, Planned Parenthood said it would begin offering medication abortion appointments starting next week.
