Judge Dismisses Challenge to Missouri’s Parental Consent Law, Upholding State’s Authority

A Jackson County judge on Wednesday dismissed a major lawsuit challenging Missouri’s parental consent law for minors seeking abortions. The ruling, handed down Wednesday, found that the organization behind the case lacked legal standing.

Circuit Judge Sarah Castle’s ruling protects Missouri’s long-standing requirement that children obtain a parent’s consent – and that the other parent be notified – before an abortion can take place. However, the ruling did not address the broader question of whether those statutes conflict with the pro-abortion Reproductive Rights Amendment narrowly passed by voters in 2024.

Abortion rights activist group Right By You filed the lawsuit in April, seeking to overturn both the consent law and a separate statute banning individuals from assisting minors in obtaining abortions. The judge ruled the group could not sue because it has financial ties to a California abortion nonprofit that is not registered to do business in Missouri. The California organization, “The Lawyering Project,” is devoted to expanding abortoin by flooding the court systems with lawsuits, according to American Center for  Law and Justice.

Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway praised the verdict as “a victory for Missouri families.”

“This ruling reaffirms Missouri’s authority to enforce its parental consent laws and protect the rights of parents against being excluded from medical decisions regarding their children,” Hanaway said in a statement. “The court’s decision upholds both the rule of law and the state’s compelling interest in safeguarding the welfare of minors.”

Supporters of the ruling reaffirmed their belief that the decision strengthens the state’s ability to protect children from coercion and abuse. Martha Stevens, director of the Missouri Family Policy Council, said the outcome “confirms that parents have both the right and the responsibility to guide their children through life-changing medical decisions. That’s not government overreach – that’s good parenting backed by good law.”

Right By You founder Stephanie Kraft Sheley called the dismissal a disappointment, arguing the law isolates young people. “Missouri’s youth deserve better than being left on their own just to access basic health care,” she said.

Assistant Attorney General Peter Donohue countered that the judicial bypass option already provides sufficient protection for minors unable to involve their parents. “It’s kind of wild the plaintiffs think that parents shouldn’t even be notified,” Donohue told the court last month.

Judge Castle didn’t wade into whether the law itself violates the new amendment,and legal observers expect the issue to resurface soon. A related case in Cole County could determine how far Amendment 3 extends – and whether Missouri’s parental consent statute can stand under the state’s new reproductive rights framework.

For now, Missouri’s parental consent law remains intact – and supporters say the ruling ensures families, not outsiders, remain at the heart of those decisions.

–Dwight Widaman | Metro Voice