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Missouri Trial Could Affect Abortion Access Across the Midwest and South

On Monday, the two-week bench trial began at the Jackson County Courthouse in Kansas City, Mo., testing Missouri abortion regulations' constitutionality and drawing national attention.
Since the 2022 ruling, decades of state restrictions gutted Missouri provider networks and forced abortions to halt in 2022 before limited services resumed.
Planned Parenthood leaders argued that Missouri regulations, including a 72-hour waiting period and mandatory pelvic exams, create red tape and privacy risks, while the state’s attorney general's office defended them as safety safeguards.
A ruling would immediately affect who can access care in Missouri, as 7,880 Missourians traveled to Illinois and 3,960 to Kansas in 2024; experts expect an appeal and warn reopening clinics may take time.
Observers note judges in other states are closely tracking Missouri's litigation as expanded access could aid rural Missourians and residents of Arkansas, Oklahoma and Texas, while Republican lawmakers pursue new restrictions this year.

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Arizona Mirror

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Lean Left

Trials show successful ballot initiatives are only the beginning of restoring abortion access

Dr. Margaret Baum (second from left), chief medical officer for Planned Parenthood Great Rivers, stands with attorneys from the Planned Parenthood Federation of America on the steps of the Jackson County Courthouse in Kansas City, Missouri, on Jan. 12, 2026, the first day of a two-week trial over abortion restrictions. (Photo by Anna Spoerre/Missouri Independent)The outcome of two trials in the coming weeks could shape what it will look like whe…

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