Missouri judge moves to temporarily block ‘discriminatory’ abortion restrictions

A Missouri Circuit Court judge moved to temporarily block the state’s “discriminatory” abortion restriction, striking down a licensing requirement for clinics providing the procedure. 

Jackson County Circuit Court Judge Jerri Zhang blocked the licensing requirement Friday evening, which abortion advocates and providers argued was a crucial step in permitting procedures in the state. 

Zhang, in a three-page ruling, wrote that the “facility licensing requirement is facially discriminatory because it does not treat services provided in abortion facilities the same as other types of similarly situated health care, including miscarriage care.”