reproductive health

The proposed amendment, if passed by the Senate and approved in a statewide election, would repeal the reproductive rights measure passed by voters in November. It would allow some exceptions in the first 12 weeks of gestation, but House Speaker Jon Patterson said that doesn't go far enough to protect assault victims.

The amendment, if passed by the Senate and then voters, would repeal the abortion rights amendment currently in Missouri's constitution, which voters just approved in November. Abortions would be illegal again in Missouri, with limited exceptions for rape, incest and medical emergencies.

Anti-abortion advocates are celebrating legislative wins after an expanded Republican supermajority in the Kansas Legislature overturned vetoes by the Democratic governor.

The Title X program was established in 1970 to provide reproductive health care for anyone who needs it. Planned Parenthood affiliates in Missouri, which provide a wide range of cancer testing and contraceptive care, reported their funds were frozen by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Planned Parenthood announced Friday that staff had begun offering surgical abortions in St. Louis, but the Missouri health department had rejected a plan that would allow doctors to dispense abortion medications — even though it was similar to what was approved before.

In Missouri, pregnant women can't get a divorce unless they have a custody agreement settled. "No matter how deep the pain, the law kept me legally bound to him," state Rep. Cecelie Williams said of her attempt to divorce her abusive husband while pregnant with their fourth child.

In-clinic abortion care has returned to Columbia after a long hiatus. KBIA’s Rebecca Smith takes us on a tour behind the scenes of central Missouri's Planned Parenthood health clinic.

As the number of fetal and infant deaths in Kansas City begins to rise again, a group of women is trying to make sure expecting mothers are well educated on risk factors.

For nearly two decades, Missouri experienced a downward trend in the number of fetal and infant deaths, but in the past few years, the number of deaths ticked up again. Nurture KC works in neighborhoods with high rates of infant mortality, reporting on causes and solutions.

The CEO of Planned Parenthood Great Rivers accused Andrew Bailey of “exploiting the powers of his office to play political games.” Several clinics are waiting on the Missouri health department to approve their complication plans before resuming medication abortions.

Abortions became available in Columbia once again this week. The procedure has been inaccessible to those living in mid-Missouri since the last abortion was performed at the Columbia Planned Parenthood clinic in 2018.

Officials at Planned Parenthood Great Rivers are awaiting approval of what’s known as a complication plan before offering medication abortions again.