The Western District Court of Appeals ruled Tuesday that abortion will remain available at Planned Parenthood clinics in Missouri. Earlier this year, Jackson County Judge Jerri Zhang issued a temporary injunction that struck down several of the state’s health and safety regulations as unconstitutional under the reproductive rights amendment that passed in November 2024. The regulations include the requirement that patients have two visits at least seventy-two hours apart before having an abortion and that abortion clinics be licensed as ambulatory surgical centers.
The attorney general’s office argued that the laws should be re-enacted in part because they were not causing a high enough degree of “irreparable harm.” The attorney general’s office wrote in court filings that the harm was only “minor” because Missourians looking to end a pregnancy could instead travel to Illinois or Kansas for an abortion.
The appeals court unanimously rejected the attorney general’s argument, calling it “disingenuous.”
A bench trial is scheduled for January 2026, after which Judge Zhang will make a final ruling. More details regarding the lawsuit and appeals can be found here.