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.
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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.
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