JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — In a significant development for reproductive rights in Missouri, a Jackson County Circuit Court judge has issued a new preliminary injunction on July 3, 2025, blocking the state’s near-total abortion ban and several restrictive regulations.
The ruling allows Planned Parenthood to resume abortion services across the state, marking a critical step in restoring access to care following a tumultuous legal battle.
This decision follows a Missouri Supreme Court order in May that had temporarily reinstated the state’s abortion ban by overturning earlier rulings.
The latest ruling by Judge Jerri Zhang comes in response to the Missouri Supreme Court’s directive on May 27, 2025, which ordered her to vacate previous injunctions from December 2024 and February 2025.
The Supreme Court had ruled that Zhang applied an incorrect legal standard in those decisions, which had allowed abortions to resume after Missouri voters approved Amendment 3 in November 2024.
Amendment 3, passed with 52% of the vote, enshrined a constitutional right to reproductive freedom, including access to abortion until fetal viability (around 24 weeks), with exceptions for the life or health of the pregnant person.
In her July 3 ruling, Judge Zhang addressed the Supreme Court’s concerns by applying the stricter legal standard outlined in the court’s prior decision.
She struck down Missouri’s 2022 abortion ban, which prohibited nearly all abortions except in medical emergencies, as well as several restrictive regulations, including a 72-hour waiting period, mandatory informed consent requirements, and specific licensing mandates for abortion facilities.
Zhang’s order declared these laws unconstitutional under Amendment 3, arguing they unduly restricted the right to reproductive freedom.
“Abortion is legal again in Missouri because voters demanded it and we fought for it,” said Emily Wales, president and CEO of Comprehensive Health of Planned Parenthood Great Plains.
“Care starts again on Monday in Kansas City.”
Planned Parenthood announced that its clinics in Kansas City and Columbia would immediately resume abortion services, reversing cancellations made after the Supreme Court’s May ruling.
The legal saga began after the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2022 decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, which triggered Missouri’s near-total abortion ban.
By 2018, restrictive regulations had already reduced the state to a single abortion clinic in St. Louis, forcing many residents to seek care in neighboring states like Illinois and Kansas.
In 2023, approximately 2,850 Missourians obtained abortions in Kansas, and 8,750 did so in Illinois, according to the Guttmacher Institute.
The passage of Amendment 3 was a historic victory for abortion rights advocates, making Missouri the first state to overturn a near-total ban via a citizen-sponsored ballot measure.
However, Missouri’s Republican-led government has continued to challenge the implementation of Amendment 3.
Attorney General Andrew Bailey, a vocal abortion opponent, argued that certain regulations, such as cleanliness standards and hospital admitting privilege requirements, were necessary for patient safety.
In response to the latest ruling, Bailey’s office issued a statement expressing disappointment and indicating plans to appeal.
The case is set for trial in January 2026, which will determine the permanent status of Missouri’s abortion restrictions.
The Ongoing Legal Battle of Abortion Policy
The Missouri House approved such a measure in April 2025, which would ban most abortions except in cases of medical emergencies, rape, or incest, with a 12-week limit for the latter two.
The referendum is slated for the November 2026 ballot, unless Governor Mike Kehoe calls a special election earlier.
Abortion rights advocates, including the ACLU of Missouri, hailed the ruling as a victory for democracy.
Advocates argue that the struck-down regulations, such as the 72-hour waiting period and facility licensing requirements, were designed to obstruct access rather than enhance safety.
The ongoing legal battle underscores Missouri’s complex history with abortion policy.
Before Roe v. Wade was overturned, the state had implemented numerous restrictions, including requirements for specific hallway dimensions and invasive pelvic exams for medication abortions.
These regulations, often called TRAP (Targeted Regulation of Abortion Providers) laws, had reduced the number of abortions performed in Missouri from over 5,000 in 2010 to just 167 in 2020, according to the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services.
Nationally, Missouri’s situation reflects a broader trend.
Since the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision in 2022, 14 out of 17 state ballot measures on abortion have favored protecting or expanding access.
Missouri’s Amendment 3 was one of five such measures passed in 2024, alongside Arizona, Colorado, Maryland, and Montana.
However, the fight over abortion access continues, with Republican-led legislatures in states like Florida and Arkansas attempting to limit citizen-initiated ballot measures.
For now, Missourians seeking abortion care can access services at Planned Parenthood clinics, but the future remains uncertain as legal challenges and political efforts to reverse Amendment 3 loom.
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