Missouri could soon be the first state without an abortion clinic since 1973


Missouri could soon become the first state in the U.S. without a functioning abortion clinic since the Supreme Court's Roe v. Wade decision in 1973, CBS News reports.
Planned Parenthood said in a statement on Tuesday that the last remaining clinic in the state, which is located in St. Louis, expects to be shut down within 72 hours, as Missouri's health department refuses to renew its annual license to provide abortions in the state.
The news comes after Missouri lawmakers passed and approved a bill banning abortions after eight weeks, the lone exception being in cases of medical emergencies. The bill is one of several restrictive laws passed by states in recent weeks as part of a plan to challenge Roe v. Wade at the federal level. Refusing to renew the lease on the clinic is seemingly another way to effectively eliminate abortion in Missouri, despite the fact that it remains legal.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The health department's potential decision to not renew reportedly stems from three issues — new requirements for the clinic's state-mandated counseling, an additional pelvic exam now required for abortion patients, and the health department's outstanding request to interview seven physicians who provide care at the clinic as part of an investigation into "deficient practices." It's the third reason that could prove to be the sticking point because not all of the doctors are Planned Parenthood employees, leaving the matter outside of their control.
Planned Parenthood is preparing to file a lawsuit in the Circuit Court of St. Louis later on Tuesday, The Guardian reports.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.
-
How quarterly estimated tax payments work and when they are due
The Explainer Freelancers, small business owners and those with a side hustle may need to make more frequent tax payments
-
'Alligator Alcatraz will be a blight on the Everglades'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Kirsty Coventry: the former Olympian and first woman to lead the IOC
In the Spotlight Coventry, a former competitive swimmer, won two Olympic gold medals
-
Trump judge pick told DOJ to defy courts, lawyer says
Speed Read Emil Bove, a top Justice Department official nominated by Trump for a lifetime seat, stands accused of encouraging government lawyers to mislead the courts and defy judicial orders
-
Mamdani upsets Cuomo in NYC mayoral primary
Speed Read Democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani beat out Andrew Cuomo in New York City's Democratic mayoral primary
-
Supreme Court clears third-country deportations
Speed Read The court allowed Trump to temporarily resume deporting migrants to countries they aren't from
-
Judges order release of 2 high-profile migrants
Speed Read Kilmar Ábrego García is back in the US and Mahmoud Khalil is allowed to go home — for now
-
US assessing bomb damage to Iran nuclear sites
Speed Read Trump claims this weekend's US bombing obliterated Tehran's nuclear program, while JD Vance insists the US is 'not at war with Iran'
-
Trump's LA deployment in limbo after court rulings
Speed Read Judge Breyer ruled that Trump's National Guard deployment to Los Angeles was an 'illegal' overreach. But a federal appellate court halted the ruling.
-
Marines, National Guard in LA can detain Americans
speed read The troops have been authorized to detain anyone who interferes with immigration raids
-
Trump vows 'very big force' against parade protesters
Speed Read The parade, which will shut down much of the capital, will celebrate the US Army's 250th anniversary and Trump's 79th birthday