Judge: Missouri’s Abortion Ban Is “Unenforceable”

St. Louis’s NBC affiliate reports:

Missouri’s near-total abortion ban was deemed unenforceable by a judge on Friday, but some aspects of the state’s laws against abortion remain in place, even after voters enshrined reproductive rights into the state’s constitution by passing Amendment 3.

Jackson County Judge Jerri Zhang ruled Missouri’s total ban, eighteen-week ban, fourteen-week ban, eight-week ban, and “reasons ban,” which stopped women from getting abortions for the sole reason that the fetus had the potential of Down Syndrome, would be rendered unenforceable by the courts.

The judge also struck down numerous other anti-abortion laws on the books in the state, including mandatory “informed consent” requirements, an in-person 72-hour waiting period, the requirement for doctors to be physically present while a patient takes medication to induce an abortion, and criminal penalties associated with the abortion bans.

Read the full article. Photo: AG Andrew Bailey.

Weeks out from the 2025 Missouri legislative session, Republican lawmakers have already filed dozens of bills aimed at weakening or overturning Amendment 3, the voter-approved measure that legalized abortion in Missouri. #moleg #mogov

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— Missouri Independent (@missouriindependent.com) December 20, 2024 at 8:04 AM