Missouri’s Abortion Law is Blocked

Missouri’s sweeping abortion law, passed in 2019, has been blocked. A federal appeals court panel ruled yesterday the bill’s provisions are unconstitutional. The law bans the procedures at or after eight weeks of pregnancy, without exception for rape or incest. The measure also prohibits a woman from having an abortion because the fetus has Down syndrome. A lawsuit over the bill was filed by Reproductive Health Services, and the ACLU. A federal judge had blocked the law due to the legal challenge and the state appealed to the 8th Circuit, prompting the federal appeals court to issue a ruling.