Missouri ’s Last Abortion Clinic May Lose Its License This Week

The last abortion provider in Missouri may lose its license this week, functionally leaving women in the state without access to safe abortions—even though they currently remain legal in Missouri and all other U.S. states. Planned Parenthood’s license to provide abortion care at its St. Louis health center is not set to be renewed by the state health department before it expires on May 31, Planned Parenthood officials said during a call with reporters on Tuesday. “This is not a drill. This is not a warning. This is real, and it is public health crisis,” Planned Parenthood President Dr. Leana Wen said during the call. “This will be the first time since 1974, the year after Roe v. Wade was decided, that safe, legal abortion care will be inaccessible to people in an entire state.” Planned Parenthood has filed a lawsuit challenging the plan, and asking for a restraining order that would allow its clinicians to continue providing abortions after May 31, Wen said during the call. “I can use no other word to describe what is happening other than the weaponization of the licensing process,” Wen said. “This has nothing to do with medicine, and everything to do with politics.” A representative from the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services did not immediately respond to TIME’s request for comment. The news comes less than a week after Missouri Gov. Mike Parson signed into law a bill that, starting in August...
Source: TIME: Health - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Uncategorized Missouri onetime Source Type: news