Missouri Judge Strikes Down Pro-Life Law That Protects Women, Saves Babies

On Thursday, June 18^th, Jackson County Judge Jerri Zhang issued an Order and Judgment invalidating almost all of Missouri’s health and safety regulations, finding that they were unconstitutional under 2024’s pro-abortion Amendment 3.

Judge Zhang had previously issued Temporary Orders striking down most of these same statutes and regulations, however, in addition in this order she struck down a regulation that required abortion clinics to have a complication plan in place to treat a woman’s complications following the administration of the abortion drug. The regulation would have required a plan to be in place to protect a woman who was experiencing complications after taking the abortion pill.

This is extremely significant in light of a 2025 research study by the Ethics and Public Policy Center that found that 10.93% of women who took the abortion pill experienced serious adverse reactions, including sepsis, infection and hemorrhaging.

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This ruling places women in grave danger with no plan in place to treat these serious adverse reactions.

As the judge had done in her prior Temporary Rulings, she found that the 2024 pro-abortion Amendment 3 wiped out a number of abortion statutes and regulations. The ruling;

• Wiped out the requirement that a woman receive informed consent prior to an abortion procedure.
• Struck down licensing requirements for abortion providers and the authority of the state to perform inspections of abortion clinics.
• Struck down requirements that abortion clinics report any complications that mothers experience during an abortion.
• Allows abortion based on a diagnosis of Down Syndrome in an unborn child and allows abortions on unborn children who can feel pain.

This ruling highlights the fact that the 2024 pro-abortion Amendment 3 places women in grave danger and highlights the importance of voting yes on the 2026 Amendment 3 on the November 3 ballot in order to protect women in Missouri.

LifeNews Note: Susan Klein is the Executive Director of Missouri Right to Life.