JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — A judge ruled Friday that Missouri’s near-total abortion ban is unenforceable under a new constitutional amendment , delivering a necessary legal step for abortions to resume in the state.
Jackson County Circuit Court Judge Jerri Zhang said the abortion ban “is directly at odds” with a constitutional amendment creating a right to abortion that won voter approval in the November election. The judge also blocked the state from enforcing numerous other abortion restrictions, including a 72-hour waiting period and an informed consent law that required patients to be given certain state-mandated information before receiving an abortion.
Missouri is one of five states where voters approved ballot measures in the 2024 general election to add the right to an abortion to their state constitutions. The Missouri amendment did not specifically override any laws. Instead, advocates had to ask a court to knock down specific laws that they believe are now unconstitutional.