Staff Contact: Jane Drummond
Comprehensive Health of Planned Parenthood Great Plains and Planned Parenthood Great Rivers-Missouri filed a lawsuit asking a court to enjoin several abortion statutes previously invalidated by Missouri’s total abortion ban.
With the passage of Amendment 3, the right to reproductive freedom, including abortion, will be enshrined in the Missouri Constitution. The ballot measure prohibits governmental interference with that right, absent a compelling government interest achieved by the least restrictive means.
Amendment 3 reverses Missouri’s abortion ban, calling into question the application of numerous laws regulating abortion that remain on the books. The Planned Parenthood plaintiffs argue that gestational age bans, licensure and privileging requirements for abortion providers, pathology and reporting requirements, among other controls on abortion, violate the new constitutional provision. The plaintiffs ask the court to enjoin enforcement of these laws before the ballot measure takes effect Thursday, Dec. 5.
