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In a massive victory for abortion rights supporters, a Missouri judge on Friday blocked a licensing requirement for abortion clinics that providers said prevented them from offering the procedure.
Planned Parenthood announced shortly after the judge’s ruling that its clinics would once again perform abortions in Missouri.
“Abortion services are resuming in Missouri!” Planned Parenthood Great Plains, an affiliate that operates in Missouri, announced on Facebook. “We are excited to soon offer care at select Missouri health centers, ensuring safe, compassionate and essential reproductive healthcare for those who need it.”
Margot Riphagen, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood Great Rivers, another Missouri affiliate, added in a statement: “Our health center staff are quickly readying to restart this critical care in the coming days.”
Abortions have been virtually banned in Missouri since 2022, when the US supreme court overturned Roe v Wade and permitted much of the nation’s south and midwest regions to outlaw the procedure. But in November, Missouri residents voted to pass a ballot measure adding abortion rights to the state constitution.