After Supreme Court ruling on abortion drug, women in Missouri still face roadblocks

ST. LOUIS (First Alert 4) — The Supreme Court unanimously rejected a lawsuit that challenged the FDA’s approach to regulating Mifepristone, an abortion pill.

The court ruled that the doctors and anti-abortion groups that had challenged access to the drug did not have standing to sue.

However, in Missouri, where all abortions are banned, there are still road blocks for women.

Planned Parenthood’s Chief Medical Officer for Reproductive Health Services, Dr. Colleen McNicholas, said despite Planned Parenthood not sending Mifepristone to anyone in Missouri, it doesn’t mean people aren’t finding other ways to get it.

“There’s been a significant increase in folks who are using medication abortion,” Dr. McNicholas said. “Specifically a significant number who are using telemedicine or medication abortion outside a brick and mortar official medicalized system.”

Dr. McNicholas said because abortion is legal in Illinois, that’s the only place in the bi-state doctors can give patients the pill.

“We provide telemedicine medication abortion through a variety of ways,” Dr. McNicholas said. “In all instances, patients need to be in the boundaries of Illinois for that visit and the medication must be mailed to an Illinois address.”

Senator Josh Hawley, whose wife is an attorney and argued before the Supreme Court for limiting access to the pill, tells First Alert 4 that laws around abortion should be up to Missouri voters.

“I don’t want the federal government to say we don’t care what the people of Missouri say if you vote to restrict abortion, we’re just gonna mail in abortion drugs into your state,” Senator Hawley said. “We’re going to mail in chemical abortion drugs right into your state, right over your heads, we don’t care what you decide.”

Signatures have been collected to put the legalization of abortion on the ballot in Missouri. The state is working on verifying those signatures before voters could see it potentially on the November ballot.

Alexis Watts recently moved from Illinois to Missouri.

“I don’t agree with not having the right to choose,” Watts said.

With her move to Missouri, Watts lost her right to choose.

“If a woman doesn’t feel able to take care of a child and bring them into this world, then why should we add onto the children in foster homes,” Watts said.

With a continued push to have Missourians vote for whether or not abortion should be legal, Watts said she continues to hold onto hope.

“I think there are always going to be concerns living as a woman wherever you go in the world, but I think as more people fight for the rights of humans and the right to have our say on our bodies and our choices,” Watts said. “All we can do is advocate.”

Missouri, Idaho and Kansas are working to return the issue to the courts with plaintiffs directly impacted.

Copyright 2024 KMOV. All rights reserved.