Missouri Down To One Abortion Provider After Court Ruling

ST. LOUIS, MO — Missouri is down to just one abortion provider — located in St. Louis — after a Planned Parenthood clinic in Columbia canceled scheduled procedures on Wednesday. The Associated Press reports that clinic’s license expired after a new law went into effect last month.

The future of abortion services have been uncertain in the state since a federal court ruled in September in favor of a Missouri law requiring doctors who perform the procedure to have hospital admitting privileges and statewide abortion clinics to be licensed as ambulatory surgical centers. The 8th Circuit Court of Appeals overturned a 2017 injunction that had blocked the new law from taking effect — effectively paving the way to shutter all but one of the state’s abortion clinics.

“Today’s decision could impact services within weeks, forcing Planned Parenthood to suspend abortion services in Columbia and limiting access for patients seeking abortion to a single Missouri provider in St. Louis…” Planned Parenthood Advocates in Missouri said last month in a statement. That appears to have been accurate.

The group called the decision unconstitutional, claiming the ruling ignored Supreme Court precedent from a virtually identical case out of Texas two years ago.

In that case, Whole Woman’s Health v. Hellerstedt, the court ruled 5-3 that a similar Texas law placed an “undue burden” on women seeking an abortion while providing little or no medical benefit in return.

Nonetheless, the legal battle has continued over the past month. Planned Parenthood has asked for a temporary exemption from the law, but a judge has yet to rule on their request.

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As soon as the prior injunction was vacated last month, the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services made clear that it intended to enforce the law.

“In its opinion, the court noted that the good faith of state officers and the validity of their actions are presumed. As the Director of DHSS, a board-certified obstetrician/gynecologist for thirty years, and a defendant in the case, my commitment and that of the department is to act in good faith to follow the law and protect the health and safety of all women in Missouri, including those seeking abortions,” said Randall Williams, the department’s director.

But Mary Kogut, President and CEO of Reproductive Health Services for Planned Parenthood of the St. Louis Region, challenged whether the state really has women’s best interests at heart.

“Missouri women continue to bear the burden of misguided government leaders, who substitute their own opinion for medical evidence,” she said.

Abortions could resume immediately if the temporary exemption is granted, but it’s not clear when or if that might happen.

Photo: Demonstrators march with Planned Parenthood balloons in front of the Gateway Arch at the St. Louis Women’s March in January. (J. Ryne Danielson/Patch)

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