In February, a judge in Missouri blocked a licensing requirement that restricted clinics from providing abortion care in the state. Within hours of the ruling, Planned Parenthood announced they would resume offering abortion care in Missouri.
The “Show Me” state has been a battleground for reproductive rights for more than a decade. Last November, Missouri voters passed an amendment to their state constitution to add the right to abortion and reproductive health care protections. The measure was approved 51.6% to 48.4%, making Missouri the first state to reverse a statewide near-total ban on abortion. That ban came immediately after the fall of Roe v. Wade in 2022. At their first opportunity, Missouri voters sided against Republican lawmakers to defend abortion rights.
The recent legal ruling is the result of sustained work by activist groups such as the ACLU of Missouri, Planned Parenthood Great Plains and Planned Parenthood Great Rivers, who sued the state to strike down restrictive “targeted regulation of abortion provider” statutes, better known as TRAP laws.
Thank you to Democrats in Missouri and around the country who have supported the will of the people in preserving reproductive rights.