The entire state of Missouri only houses one clinic that offers abortions- a Planned Parenthood clinic in St. Louis, Missouri. After Governor Parson recently signed the right to life bill, there might not be any place in Missouri that will provide abortions as early as this week. If Planned Parenthood doesn’t get their license to provide abortions in Missouri renewed, Missouri will become the first state that doesn’t have a functioning abortion clinic since Roe v. Wade in 1973.
One Left
In 2008 there were five abortion clinics in Missouri, now there’s just one, a Planned Parenthood clinic located in St. Louis, and it’s looking as if that too will soon be gone. Missouri’s health department is refusing to renew Planned Parenthoods annual license that allows them to offer and provide abortions in Missouri.
If the license is not renewed by May 31, not only would the license expire, but Missouri would then become the first state to not have an abortion clinic since 1973. [1] Planned Parenthood would still be able to provide services that are not related to abortions in Missouri, however.
Negotiations
Planned Parenthood has said that they plan on suing the state of Missouri “in order to try to keep serving Missouri women.” Planned Parenthood representatives allegedly said that they have been trying for weeks now to renew their license but state health officials continue to refuse to do so.
On May 20 the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services gave Planned Parenthood three tasks to complete before they got their license renewed. The first two were adjusting who provided the state-mandated counseling at the clinic as well as adding another pelvic exam for patients, both of which the clinic addressed. The third, however, they cannot fulfill. According to Planned Parenthood, the health department wants interviews with seven physicians which they employ. Unfortunately, they could only offer interviews with two of their employees; the remaining physicians are not employed by Planned Parenthood and have declined to be interviewed. [2]
As state regulations become stricter, more and more clinics cannot comply with them and are forced to shut their doors without the help of a new abortion law being passed.
Notes:
- ^Suntrup, Jack. “Planned Parenthood in St. Louis could stop performing abortions as early as this week.” stltoday.com, 28 May. 2019, www.stltoday.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/planned-parenthood-in-st-Louis-could-stop-performing-abortions-as/article_35b27e68-2139-5aba-8306-3c0aa982291e.html#1. (go back ↩)
- ^Smith, Kate. “Planned Parenthood: Missouri’s last abortion clinic says it may lose its license this week [exclusive].” 28 May. 2019, www.cbsnews.com/news/planned-parenthood-missouri-last-abortion-clinic-says-it-may-lose-its-license-this-week-exclusive-2019-05-28. (go back ↩)
