Missouri clergy members who sued to overturn the state’s abortion ban announced Wednesday that they are dropping their lawsuit after voters approved a measure putting language in the state constitution that legalizes the procedure.
More than a dozen religious leaders in 2023 filed a lawsuit in St. Louis circuit court that claimed the state’s near-total abortion ban violated the state’s constitution by using religious language.
“Challenging Missouri’s abortion ban was an expression of my faith, which calls us to defend the dignity and autonomy of all people,” said the Rev. Traci Blackmon, one of the clergy members, in a press release. “We aren’t truly free unless we can control our own bodies, lives, and futures.”
Voters earlier this month passed Amendment 3, reversing the state's ban. It guarantees the right to an abortion and the ability to make other reproductive decisions.
Amendment 3 legalizes the right to an abortion up to the point of fetal viability, which is approximately 24 weeks after conception.
Lawyers from Americans United for Separation for Church and State and the National Women’s Law Center represented the group. The coalition had planned to appeal a ruling from a St. Louis judge that ruled the ban did not violate the state’s constitution.
“With the passing of Amendment 3, the people of Missouri have made it clear that they reject efforts to control personal health care decisions based on religious beliefs,” wrote Women’s Law Center lawyer K.M. Bell in a statement. “State officials must now respect the will of the people and comply with the Constitution.”
Planned Parenthood sued the state to overturn MIssouri’s ban the day after voters approved the measure earlier this month.
The organization aims to begin performing abortions in Missouri next month, although advocates have said they expect legal challenges from Republican officials and lawmakers who oppose abortion rights.
