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 If the state denies the license and a legal challenge fails,
Missouri could become the only U.S. state without a legal abortion
clinic. It is one of 12 states to pass laws restricting abortion
access this year, some aimed at provoking a U.S. Supreme Court
review of the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that recognized a
woman's right to terminate her pregnancy.
Women's healthcare provider Planned Parenthood sued Missouri health
officials after they warned they would decline to renew the license
of the Reproductive Health Services of Planned Parenthood clinic in
St. Louis on the grounds it failed to meet their standards.
However, State Circuit Court Judge Michael Stelzer on June 10 issued
a preliminary injunction saying the state needed to make an
"official" decision by Friday on the license, which was set to
expire on May 31, before it can be reviewed.
Further, he said only the state's Administrative Hearing Commission
had jurisdiction and authority to rule on any decision denying the
license, not the circuit court, according to court documents.
Stelzer has set a hearing for Friday morning to discuss the case.
Abortion is one of the most divisive issues in the United States,
with opponents often citing religious beliefs to call it immoral.
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The legal battle in Missouri began after Governor Mike Parson, a
Republican, signed a bill on May 24 banning abortion beginning in
the eighth week of pregnancy, making Missouri one of nine U.S.
states to pass anti-abortion legislation this year.
Planned Parenthood has vowed to fight to protect abortion access in
Missouri and to push back on regulatory standards that it believes
put a burden on abortion rights.
A doctor at the St Louis clinic this week told CBS News that the
clinic will no longer follow the state's requirement to conduct a
second pelvic exam on women seeking abortions, defying what the
staff views as an "unethical" and medically irrelevant mandate.
Court document show that Missouri health officials declined to renew
the clinic's license to perform abortions because they were unable
to interview seven of its physicians over "potential deficient
practices."
(Reporting by Gabriella Borter in New York; Editing by Scott Malone
and Sonya Hepinstall)
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