**Missouri Halts Abortions Following Supreme Court Ruling**

Jefferson City, Mo. - Planned Parenthood has ceased performing abortions in Missouri this past Tuesday, after the state's highest court mandated new deliberations in an ongoing legal battle surrounding an abortion ban that residents voted to overturn last November. The Missouri Supreme Court declared that a lower court judge used incorrect criteria in the decisions made in December and February, which had initially allowed abortions to recommence.

The stringent ban, which came into force following the U.S. Supreme Court's landmark decision to overturn Roe v. Wade in 2022, nearly eliminated all abortions in Missouri. The latest directive from the state Supreme Court instructs Judge Jerri Zhang to nullify her previous decisions and reexamine the case in line with the new standards established by the court. Judge Zhang had previously permitted abortions to resume, reasoning that advocates were likely to succeed in the case in the long run. However, the Supreme Court maintained that the primary consideration should be whether harms would ensue from permitting abortions to resume.

The state argued in its Supreme Court petition that Planned Parenthood failed to adequately demonstrate that women experienced harm due to the absence of temporary holds on extensive abortion-related laws and regulations. According to the state, Zhang's rulings left abortion facilities “functionally unregulated” and women with "no guarantee of health and safety."

Regulations placed on hold included those setting cleanliness benchmarks for abortion clinics and the requirement for physicians performing abortions to have admitting privileges at specific hospitals within 30 miles or 15 minutes from where the abortion was performed. Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey hailed the Supreme Court's decision as a victory for women and children, emphasizing that it underlined the necessity for abortion providers to adhere to state mandates concerning basic safety and sanitary conditions.

Planned Parenthood contends that these restrictions were designed to impede access to abortion services. Emily Wales, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood Great Plains, reported that the organization had to immediately start calling patients to cancel their abortion appointments at clinics in Columbia and Kansas City. Wales expressed frustration, noting that the organization has repeatedly had to cancel patient appointments due to political interference and new state restrictions.

While Planned Parenthood plans to challenge the ruling in court again soon, Sam Lee, director of Campaign Life Missouri, expressed excitement, stating that the Supreme Court's order meant that pro-life laws emphasizing women's health and safety would remain effective.

Missouri stands as the only state where voters have overturned an abortion ban covering all pregnancy stages via a ballot measure. The battle to resume abortions did not initiate until more than three months after the amendment was adopted, facing resistance from the Republican-controlled state government. Earlier this month, lawmakers approved another ballot initiative aimed at reinstating a ban, with exceptions for pregnancies resulting from rape or incest. This new measure could go before voters in 2026 or earlier, should Republican Gov. Mike Kehoe call for a special election.

As it stands, 12 states are actively enforcing comprehensive abortion bans, and another four have restrictions that begin around six weeks into pregnancy, often before many women are aware they are pregnant.