Appeals court rules Missouri may enforce strict abortion law

A U.S. appellate court ruled Monday that Missouri can enforce a law that forces abortion clinics to meet ambulatory surgical center requirements and requires doctors performing abortions to get admitting privileges at local hospitals, despite a 2016 Supreme Court ruling striking down a similar Texas law.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 8th Circuit delivered the opinion striking down a ruling from a lower court that eliminated the Missouri law. Abortion rights groups pointed to the Monday ruling as evidence that abortion rights are under threat if Brett Kavanaugh reaches the Supreme Court, since the case could wind up there.

“Today’s ruling should be a stark example of just how easily judges like Brett Kavanaugh can gut women’s constitutional rights, ignoring the real barriers that these medically unnecessary place on women’s access to abortion,” said Dawn Laguens, executive vice president of Planned Parenthood.

Planned Parenthood said in a release that the ruling would shutter all but one abortion clinic in the state because others would not be able to meet the requirements.

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