ST. LOUIS — In November, voters decided to overturn Missouri’s abortion ban, but three months later, access was still being blocked. Friday night, a judge has cleared the way for abortion clinics to reopen in the state.
In what appears to be the final hurdle for abortion proponents, a Missouri judge has ruled against the state’s abortion facility licensing requirements. According to the court, the requirement for an abortion care facility to obtain a state license is discriminatory.
“Based on the foregoing, the Court finds the facility licensing requirement is facially discriminatory because it does not treat services provided in abortion facilities the same as other types of similarly situated health care, including miscarriage care.” Judge Jerri Zhang’s court ruling reads.
“The Court finds Plaintiffs have demonstrated a likelihood of success on the merits on this
point and have met the other requirements for entry of a preliminary injunction provided in State…”
The preliminary injunction now in place allows providers to reopen while litigation moves forward.