Amendment 3

Margot Riphagen has been Planned Parenthood Great Rivers’ vice president of external affairs since April of last year. She was a leader in the coalition of abortion rights supporters that led to Amendment 3 passing in Missouri.

Chief Financial Officer Tonya Tucker will serve as interim CEO while the organization searches for a permanent replacement.

Advocates for abortion rights cheered when voters approved Amendment 3, which enshrined the right to an abortion in the Missouri Constitution. But nearly two months after the ballot initiative passed, the procedure still isn’t available in the state.

Because some licensing restrictions are still on the books, Planned Parenthood providers said they cannot perform abortions even after an order lifted the state's overall abortion ban.

After Missouri voters passed Amendment 3 in November, enshrining the right to an abortion, Planned Parenthood sued to strike down several abortion restrictions in state law. A judge on Friday blocked some but not all of the restrictions.

Republican lawmakers have proposed a number of constitutional amendments that would overturn Amendment 3. Some include exceptions for survivors of rape or incest, a departure from the party’s recent stance on abortion.

Judge Jerri Zhang has yet to issue her ruling in a lawsuit filed by Planned Parenthood that seeks to strike down the state’s ban on abortions. A voter-approved amendment protecting abortion access goes into effect Friday.

After voters approved Amendment 3 in November, Planned Parenthood attorneys want to overturn a number of Missouri laws that regulate abortion services and providers. A court decision on the lawsuit could come soon.

Anti-abortion rights groups and politicians argued before the November election that Amendment 3 would block most abortion restrictions. But Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey is now arguing it doesn’t overturn some restrictions on clinics.

Religious leaders had challenged the state’s near-total ban on the grounds it contained explicitly religious language.