Missouri Republicans promise action on abortion following judge’s ruling

Republicans in the Missouri House and Senate vowed action Tuesday following a court ruling last week that allowed abortions to resume across the state.

A Jackson County judge ruled Friday that certain licensing regulations for abortion providers were discriminatory, as they treated abortion care differently from other comparable types of health care.

Those regulations had prevented clinics from providing abortions even after the passage of Amendment 3 added a right to abortion to the state constitution last November.

At a press conference at the Capitol on Tuesday, Republicans argued that the regulations were necessary to protect women.

“Now, back-alley abortions aren’t just a risk, they’re legal under Amendment 3,” said Senate President Pro Tem Cindy O’Laughlin.

Abortion providers and abortion rights advocates have said the regulations were unnecessary and were just another way to limit providers, an argument supported by last week’s ruling.

Republicans say that putting a new measure on the ballot to undo Amendment 3 is a priority for this legislative session. They say that measure will include exceptions, such as for the health of the mother.

Several bills that would put abortion back on the ballot have already been introduced in both chambers.

Jefferson County Sen. Mary Elizabeth Coleman said she believes fellow Republicans can craft a measure that will be accepted by voters.

“This is not an ending fight. This is something that people are going to continue to fight one way or the other,” Coleman said. “Whether it passes or it doesn’t pass, this won’t be the last time I think you will see something on the ballot in Missouri, because this has been an ongoing fight for 50 years.”

The River City Journalism Fund supports St. Louis Public Radio's Statehouse internship. Evy Lewis is the 2025 reporting intern. See rcjf.org for more information about the fund, which seeks to advance journalism in St. Louis.