On Tuesday, the Missouri Supreme Court handed down a ruling that struck down injunctions put in place last year by Jackson County judge Jerri Zhang blocking abortion restrictions in the state.
The high court’s ruling says Zhang used the wrong standards to rule on the injunctions. The decision came as a result of a writ filed by Attorney General Andrew Bailey challenging the injunctions, and experts say the ruling means abortion is effectively banned in Missouri once again.
Emily Wales, President and CEO of Planned Parenthood Great Plains, said no abortion procedures were being performed at the Columbia clinic when the ruling came down, but officials have had to call patients to cancel appointments.
“If you are in the St Louis area or Kansas City area, sometimes - but not always - you could get across state lines into Kansas or Illinois for care. But for mid-Missourians in particular, that's multiple hours. It can be an overnight trip trying to find childcare, figure out time off from work - it's a lot more complicated," Wales said. "And so for our Columbia health center not to offer these appointments, at least for now, it's going to mean that some central Missourians are going without access."
Wales said the ruling requires the injunctions to be lifted, but doesn’t necessarily ban abortion permanently - there are several next steps to be taken that could change the situation once again.
“We will be back in court as soon as possible, and try to reiterate that although the standard is different, the evidence, the expert testimony, the facts here are not changed. We anticipate that we will get another preliminary injunction that will allow us to reopen abortion services," Wales said.
For now, Wales said Planned Parenthood is available to help patients get care out of state or discuss their options during this time. For Missourians who need abortion care or had a termination scheduled, Wales recommends contacting a healthcare provider to discuss options.
