The ongoing fight in Missouri over access to abortion took a new turn this week when the state’s Supreme Court made a decision that stopped all abortion services in the state. Planned Parenthood runs the only abortion clinics in Missouri. On Tuesday, the organization confirmed that it had started canceling appointments for women who wanted to have an abortion because of the court’s decision.
The ruling is the latest in a long legal battle in the state. After the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022, abortion services were temporarily brought back. After that decision, Missouri almost completely banned abortions, making it hard for most women to get care. In late 2022 and early 2023, the Missouri Supreme Court made decisions that let abortions happen again for a while. They did this because they knew that a lower court judge had applied certain legal standards incorrectly. But on Tuesday, the state’s highest court said those decisions were wrong and told the lower court to look at the case again using stricter rules.
The ruling effectively stops abortion services in Missouri, at least for the time being. As a result, Planned Parenthood had to cancel planned procedures at its clinics in Columbia and Kansas City. Emily Wales, president of Planned Parenthood Great Plains, was angry about the ruling and said that the group has been in a similar situation before. “Before, we had to cancel patient appointments because of political interference and strict rules.” “Being back in that situation again makes me sad,” Wales said.
The most important part of the Missouri Supreme Court’s decision is how it interpreted the laws that govern abortion. The court didn’t agree with a lower court’s decision to let abortion services keep going without looking at the bad effects those services might have. The state’s Supreme Court made it clear that it should first think about what would happen if abortions were legalized as they are now.
Andrew Bailey, the attorney general of Missouri, said that the decision was a win for women and children and a win for the state’s health and safety rules. “Abortion providers must follow state law, which includes basic rules for cleanliness and safety,” Bailey said in a statement. The ruling says that clinics must follow strict rules that were temporarily put on hold in earlier rulings. These rules include standards for how clean abortion facilities must be and doctors must have admitting privileges at hospitals within 30 miles of the facility.
Abortion rights supporters, on the other hand, have long said that these kinds of rules are meant to make it harder for women to get care. Planned Parenthood has said that these steps were taken on purpose to make it harder to get an abortion, especially in a state where abortion is already very hard to get.
The ongoing tension in Missouri is part of a larger national debate over abortion rights. Since the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, many states have passed strict laws that make it harder to get an abortion. People in Missouri showed their support for abortion access by voting against a law that would have completely banned abortion last November. But lawmakers in the state have made it clear that they will keep trying to get more restrictions. A new ballot initiative might bring back the state’s almost complete ban on abortion, with some exceptions for rape and incest. The measure might be on the 2026 ballot.
At the moment, Missouri is still one of the most controversial states when it comes to abortion. Abortion providers like Planned Parenthood are fighting for the right to care for women, while opponents of abortion like Campaign Life Missouri are celebrating victories in their ongoing efforts to make abortion less accessible. As the legal battle goes on, it’s still not clear when people in Missouri will be able to get abortions.
“This article was written by Mathew Owen. AI tools were used lightly for grammar and formatting, but the ideas, words, and edits are all mine.”
