A state circuit judge blocked some parts of Missouri’s near-total abortion ban after an abortion ballot measure’s passage in November. But the ruling preserved other restrictions, including that abortion facilities have to be licensed by the state.

Several Missouri laws, such as the 72-hour waiting period, were temporarily blocked by the judge. But Planned Parenthood says enough restrictions remain in place to prevent abortion services from resuming.

A state judge on Friday ruled Missouri's nearly total abortion ban violates the state's Constitution as amended by voters on Nov. 5 and partially blocked enforcement of the abortion law.

After Missouri voters passed Amendment 3 in November, enshrining the right to an abortion, Planned Parenthood sued to strike down several abortion restrictions in state law. A judge on Friday blocked some but not all of the restrictions.

A judge ruled Friday that Missouri’s near-total abortion ban is unenforceable under a new constitutional amendment, ensuring abortion will be legal in the state. Jackson County Circuit Court Judge Jerri Zhang issued an order blocking the state’s strict abortion law after a new abortion-rights constitutional amendment

A Jackson County judge blocked Missouri's near-total abortion ban Friday following the passage of a statewide constitutional amendment in November. Judge Jerri Zhang's 22-page ruling temporarily blocks several state laws regulating the procedure.

The ruling effectively ends a mandatory 72-hour waiting period between an appointment and surgical abortion, along with other now unconstitutional state laws.

Voters passed Amendment 3 in November to guarantee abortion rights in the Missouri Constitution. That kicked in Dec. 5. But that voter action followed decades of work by the General Assembly to regulate abortion into oblivion.