abortion

Despite hinting that it could happen, Missouri Gov. Mike Parson won't say for sure whether he will pardon or commute the sentence of Eric DeValkenaere, the former KCPD officer serving six years in prison for killing Cameron Lamb. Parson spoke to KCUR's Up To Date about his tenure before leaving office on Jan. 13.

Gov. Mike Parson is leaving office in January after more than six and a half years in the job. He spoke about his handling of the COVID pandemic, the abortion ban he signed into law, and his experience working with Republican supermajorities.

In August, Planned Parenthood opened a clinic in Pittsburgh, Kansas — just five miles from the Missouri border. But workers don't expect demand at the clinic to decline after Missouri voted to lift it's current abortion ban. Plus: Midwest builders are using wood in a new, climate-friendly way to construct high rises.

Judge Jerri Zhang has yet to issue her ruling in a lawsuit filed by Planned Parenthood that seeks to strike down the state’s ban on abortions Friday, when a voter-approved amendment protecting abortion access goes into effect.

After voters approved Amendment 3 in November, Planned Parenthood attorneys want to overturn a number of Missouri laws that regulate abortion services and providers. A court decision on the lawsuit could come soon.

A Jackson County judge on Wednesday will hear Planned Parenthood’s attempt to overturn a number of Missouri laws regulating abortion. Meanwhile, several GOP legislators have already filed bills hoping to reinstate an abortion ban.

Dr. Betsy Wickstrom, a high-risk OB-GYN in Kansas City, is a Republican and a Christian but supported last month's abortion-rights amendment. She's concerned about what the future may hold with Missouri lawmakers threatening to overturn some of its protections.

Some reproductive rights activists say that Amendment 3, which Missouri voters passed in November, didn't go far enough in expanding abortion access to help the most vulnerable populations. One sticking point was the amendment's language setting limits at "fetal viability," which does not have a true medical definition.

The leader of Planned Parenthood Great Plains says the move is a ploy to prevent a Jackson County judge from potentially knocking down other abortion restrictions. Andrew Bailey says his office will continue to enforce laws requiring parental consent and outlawing coercion.

Missourians have backed ballot items supported by Democrats in the past decade — including abortion rights, expanded Medicaid, legalized marijuana and labor rights — while also giving Republicans unfettered control over state government.

More than a dozen religious leaders had challenged Missouri's near-total abortion ban in 2023, on the grounds it contained explicitly religious language and violated the state constitution.

While passing Amendment 3 safeguards abortion rights in Missouri for now, health care providers say people are still worried about access to reproductive care under the incoming administration of President-elect Donald Trump.