Missouri Planned Parenthood Abortion Clinics Can Seek License, For Now, Court Rules

SPRINGFIELD, MO — Planned Parenthood can continue seeking abortion service licenses in Joplin, Springfield and Columbia following a federal appeals court ruling Monday. The 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals lifted a temporary stay that allowed Missouri to enforce certain abortion requirements as they appeal a lower court ruling that said the requirements infringed on women's abortion rights.

The appeals court didn't explain its decision.

Only Planned Parenthood clinics in Kansas City and St. Louis currently have abortion licenses. The since-lifted stay clouded the future of licenses at the other clinics. (For more information on this and other neighborhood stories, subscribe to Patch to receive daily newsletters and breaking news alerts. If you have an iPhone, click here to get the free Patch iPhone app.)

"By allowing us to continue expanding health care access, this lets us ensure women in our state can get the care they need closer to their own community," Mary Kogut, president and CEO of Reproductive Health Services of Planned Parenthood of the St. Louis Region, said in a news release. "We will continue working with the state to obtain licenses in Springfield and Joplin so we can provide care to patients in southwest Missouri as soon as possible."

Missouri Attorney General Josh Hawley, whose office is responsible for defending state laws, said he was "extremely disappointed" with the decision, a reaction shared by leadership at Missouri Right to Life.

"My office will continue to fight for common sense regulations that protect the health and well-being of Missouri women," Hawley said in a statement.

The state is appealing an April district court ruling that barred Missouri from enforcing regulations requiring doctors who perform abortions to have admitting privileges at nearby hospitals and requiring clinics to meet hospital-like standards for outpatient surgery.

The U.S. Supreme Court in last year threw out similar Texas rules that sharply reduced the number of abortion clinics there, rejecting the state's claims that its 2013 law and follow-up regulations were needed to safeguard women's health.

After U.S. District Judge Howard F. Sachs blocked those requirements in Missouri, Planned Parenthood sought licenses to provide services in Kansas City, Joplin, Springfield and Columbia. The Kansas City clinic received a license but the temporary stay initially issued by the federal appeals court had delayed licenses for the other clinics.

By SUMMER BALLENTINE, Associated Press

Photo credit: LM Otero/Associated Press