JEFFERSON CITY – On October 7, 2025, the Jackson County Circuit Court dismissed a lawsuit brought by an organization called “Right by You” which sought to strike down Missouri’s parental consent law for minors’ abortions.
“Right by You” claimed that the parental consent laws were invalidated by the 2024 adoption of Amendment 3.
The Court dismissed the case because it found that “Right by You” did not have legal standing to bring the case, but did not rule on the ultimate issue of whether or not the existing language in the 2024 Amendment 3 invalidated or wiped out Missouri’s parental consent laws.
We still face the threat to Missouri’s parental consent laws caused by the existing language in 2024’s Amendment 3. This fact highlights the urgent necessity to support the new Amendment 3 language which will appear on the 2026 ballot which will fix the problem by ensuring parents’ rights to consent prior to their minor child obtaining an abortion.
Susan Klein, Executive Director of Missouri Right to Life commented, “We are grateful that our parental consent laws are still in force for now and we thank Attorney General Hanaway for defending the right of parents to be involved in any health decisions regarding abortion for their minor daughters in Missouri. The 2026 Amendment 3 is critical to maintaining parental rights in Missouri.”