In a 7-0 ruling Tuesday, the Missouri Supreme Court refused to take up Attorney General Andrew Bailey’s request to reinstate basic health and safety regulations for abortion facilities in the state, ordering him to turn to a court of appeals instead.
The Attorney General had petitioned the Supreme Court to block a temporary injunction issued by a Jackson County Circuit Judge on July 3 that allowed abortions to resume in the state, contending that the judge abused her discretion in issuing the injunction. That was the third time that Judge Jerri Zhang had issued an order stating that the abortion rights amendment approved by voters in November overrode nearly all Missouri abortion regulations, including facility licensing requirements, informed consent requirements, and the requirement that abortion doctors have admitting privileges at a nearby hospital in case of a medical emergency.
The Supreme Court ruled that the Attorney General should have gone to a state appeals court prior to raising the issue before the highest court in Missouri.
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