Women in Missouri are expected to have access to abortion services within days, after a circuit court judge ruled business licenses imposed by the state on Planned Parenthood clinics were too onerous.

The ruling marks a key moment in the push by abortion rights supporters to restore access to abortion across Missouri.

Jackson County Circuit Court Judge Jerri Zhang previously struck down a number of “targeted regulation of abortion provider” statutes, but left state licensing requirements in place. Planned Parenthood argued the state licensing rules were an obstacle to providing abortions in Missouri.

A Friday decision by a judge means abortions may soon resume in Missouri clinics. Planned Parenthood filed a lawsuit in November in Jackson County challenging a Missouri law that required surgical cen