Planned Parenthood

Planned Parenthood Great Rivers opened its books for patients to make abortion appointments starting next week. It's the latest in a saga over abortion access after Missouri voters passed Amendment 3 last November.

A Jackson County Circuit Court judge blocked enforcement last week of nearly all Missouri laws that restrict abortion, ruling the 2024 passage of Amendment 3 enshrined the right to an abortion in the state constitution. Missouri has already started and stopped abortion services several times this year as legal battles continue.

For the third time, a Jackson County judge ruled that Missouri's abortion restrictions cannot be enforced under Amendment 3. Planned Parenthood said its Kansas City clinic will resume services on Monday, but Attorney General Andrew Bailey will appeal the ruling.

Missouri is among several states that have tried to remove Planned Parenthood clinics from state Medicaid programs, even though Medicaid funds cannot generally be used to fund abortions.

With no clear indication of when — or if — access to abortion will be restored in Missouri, and a GOP-crafted amendment banning the procedure heading for the ballot next year, advocates on both sides are navigating the uncertainty and gearing up for the fight ahead.

The Missouri Supreme Court reinstated several anti-abortion laws, even though abortion rights are now protected in the state constitution, and sent the issue back to a Kansas City judge. But abortion services remain available at clinics on the Kansas side of the metro.

Even after Missouri Republicans pushed through a measure that would ban most abortions again, which voters will likely see on the 2026 ballot, Planned Parenthood will continue offering abortion services throughout the state.

Only six months after Missourians enshrined the right to an abortion in the state's constitution, the issue is going back before voters. Republican lawmakers approved an abortion ban amendment that would overturn many of the protections in Amendment 3.

Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey has been seeking medical records on gender-affirming health care for minors from providers across Missouri. An appeals court said Planned Parenthood must produce "de-identified" medical records or otherwise cite exemptions.

The reproductive health nonprofit Right By You contends that Missouri's parental consent law is unconstitutional under Amendment 3, the abortion rights measure passed by voters last year. It's also challenging Missouri’s ban on aiding or assisting a minor seeking an abortion.

A Jackson County judge halted a number of Missouri's abortion restrictions after voters passed Amendment 3. But this week, Gov. Mike Kehoe signed a bill that gives the attorney general the right to appeal temporary pauses against state laws or constitutional provisions.

A new Missouri law allows the attorney general to challenge temporary injunctions, a move inspired by a pending abortion-rights case. But a lawsuit filed Friday argues that the law violates the constitution in multiple ways.