(AP) — The Missouri Supreme Court on Wednesday rejected the latest attempt by Republican state officials to block taxpayer dollars from going to Planned Parenthood, citing a failure in the state's legal appeal. The high court's decision upholds a ruling by a trial judge, who found that a 2022 funding bill violated the state constitution. The Supreme Court said Republican Attorney General Andrew Bailey's office failed to appeal the equal protection claim and it thus must stand. Missouri's Republican-led Legislature has tried for years to block any health care funding from going to Planned Parenthood because of its association with abortion. Lawmakers have been trying since then to reinstate a ban on funding for Planned Parenthood.

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Persons: Andrew Bailey's, Yamelsie Rodriguez, Emily Wales Organizations: JEFFERSON CITY, Missouri Supreme, Republican, Missouri's Republican, U.S, Supreme, Lawmakers, Democratic Locations: Mo, Missouri, Louis Region, Southwest Missouri, Missouri's