The Missouri ACLU expects another injunction will soon be granted that will re-open access to abortion in the state
BY: JASON HANCOCK
Missouri Independent
The Missouri Supreme Court on Tuesday ordered a judge in Kansas City to lift an injunction that had blocked restrictions on abortion, a ruling that upends access to the procedure six months after voters enshrined reproductive rights into the state Constitution.
The two-page order imposes a “de facto abortion ban” in the state, according to the leaders of the state’s two Planned Parenthood affiliates.
Over the course of two rulings — one in December and one in February — Jackson County Judge Jerri Zhang pointed to the voter-approved constitutional amendment in issuing a temporary injunction blocking abortion restrictions enacted over numerous years by state lawmakers.
Most notably, Zhang struck down licensing requirement for abortion clinics, arguing the regulations were “unnecessary” and “discriminatory” because they do not treat services provided in abortion facilities the same as other types of similarly situated health care, including miscarriage care.
The injunction allowed abortions in the state to resume while the case made its way to a January 2026 trial.