KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KFVS) – Missourians seeking abortions are fleeing to Kansas or Illinois after a court judgement essentially reinstated the state’s abortion ban.

Since the Missouri Supreme Court decided a Jackson County judge’s ruling was not efficient, abortions are effectively banned in Missouri again unless the lower court can rule again. Abortions providers in and out of Missouri have noted that patients are going out of the state to receive care just one day later.

After the Dobbs decision, Missouri was the first state to ban abortion. In November 2024, Missouri voters legalized abortion in November when 52% of them voted “yes” on Amendment Three.

Amendment Three was put on the ballot by initiative petition, having to receive thousands of signatures from people all over Missouri. It faced several legal challenges along the way, going all the way to the state’s Supreme Court before the matter was settled.

A Jackson County Judge stopped Missouri’s licensing requirements for abortion providers, saying they were unfairly restrictive and singled out abortion providers in February. Shortly after, Planned Parenthood started offering abortions at several locations.

Tuesday, the Missouri Supreme Court ruled that the legal reasoning behind the Jackson County ruling was not sufficient, which puts all the abortion regulations back into effect.

When abortion was banned in Missouri after the Dobbs decision but before Amendment Three, data from the Guttmacher Institute shows about 10,000 Missourians traveled to Kansas or Illinois each year to receive abortions.

Rianne Hawkins with Planned Parenthood Great Rivers said the clinic is determined to continue providing abortions, even if it can’t do so in Missouri.

“We’re working really hard to make sure that all the patients that need that care are able to receive that abortion care, whether they have to go to Kansas or Illinois,” Hawkins said.

Hope Clinic in southern Illinois said about 40% of its out-of-state patients since Roe v. Wade was overturned are from Missouri. Co-owner Julie Burkhart said she will continue to work with Missouri abortion clinics during this uncertain time.

“We’ve seen firsthand how they struggle to deal with rising travel costs and logistical barriers like taking time off work and finding childcare. Beyond making it harder for people to access abortion, restrictions also create fear and stigma around this safe, common form of reproductive health care.”

The Jackson County judge can reverse the decision with another ruling. Planned Parenthood said its legal team has already filed a response to Tuesday’s ruling.

Meanwhile, anti-abortion advocates have already turned their attention to the next battle. Another vote on abortion will take place after lawmakers passed a bill to put abortion back on the ballot. Anti-abortion advocates like Brian Westbrook with Coalition Life said Amendment Three was misleading and this new measure will clear things up.

“There’s a lot of work being done behind the scenes,” Westbrook said. “Rallying the troops, getting synergy around this ballot initiative.”

Under the bill passed by the Missouri general assembly, abortion will be on the ballot again in November 2026.

Copyright 2025 KFVS. All rights reserved.

Substance use disorder can have temporary or lasting effects on your physical, mental, and social health. Missouri 988 can point you or a loved one in the right direction.

During Mental Health Awareness Month, it is critical to understand the resources available if you or a loved one is leaning on substance use.

Jean Sokora, Dunnica Sobering Support Center Program Director, joins Cameron Conner on Show Me Today to discuss the impacts of substance use disorder.

This sponsored interview is in collaboration with Missouri 988.

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — The Missouri Supreme Court opened the door Tuesday to abortions being halted again in a tumultuous legal saga after voters struck down the state’s abortion ban last November.

The state’s top court ruled that a district judge applied the wrong standard in rulings in December and February that allowed abortions to resume in the state for the first time since they were nearly completely halted under a ban that took effect after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022.

In Tuesday’s two-page ruling, the court ordered Judge Jerri Zhang to vacate her earlier orders and re-evaluate the case using the standards the court laid out.

The state emphasized in their petition filed to the state Supreme Court in March that Planned Parenthood didn’t sufficiently prove women were harmed without the temporary blocks on the broad swath of laws and regulations on abortion services and providers. On the contrary, the state said Zhang’s decisions left abortion facilities “functionally unregulated” and women with “no guarantee of health and safety.”

Sam Lee, director of Campaign Life Missouri, said he was “extremely excited” by the Supreme Court order.

“This means that our pro-life laws, which include many health and safety protections for women, will remain in place,” Lee said. “How long they will remain we will have to see. But for right now, we would expect that Planned Parenthood would stop doing any abortions until the court rules otherwise.”