Unless a court intervenes, Reproductive Health Services of Planned Parenthood of the St. Louis Region, the last abortion provider in Missouri, will need to close its doors on Friday for failing to meet the state’s licensing requirements. Should it close, Missouri will be the first state in the union without an abortion provider since 1973.
At issue is a Missouri Department of Health request to interview all seven abortion providers at the facility over what it calls “deficient practices.” Planned Parenthood will only allow the two abortion providers on their payroll to be interviewed, saying it has “no control” over the other five, who are residents in training and not employed by Planned Parenthood.
A letter sent to Planned Parenthood by the Department of Health stated it could not “complete our investigation until it interviews the physicians involved in the care provided in the potential deficient practices.” The letter added that “the investigation needs to be completed and any deficiencies resolved before the expiration of [the clinic’s] license on May 31, 2019.”
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The infanticide provider doesn’t plan to go down without a fight, however. They vow to sue the state “in order to try to keep serving Missouri women.”
“This is not a drill. This is not a warning. This is a real public health crisis,” said Leana Wen, president and CEO of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America.
“We will do whatever we need. We will go to court. We will be in the media. We will be present and engaging people in this discussion, in this fight,” said Colleen McNicholas, an abortionist at the facility.
Planned Parenthood is complaining that they haven’t received any information from the Department of Health as to what the questions would be but assumed they would be “inappropriate” and “bordering on harassment.”
“They have said the interrogation could lead to criminal proceedings and board review of their licenses,” said Helene Krasnoff, Planned Parenthood’s director of public policy litigation. “We think this has nothing to do with patient care and is inappropriate and unlawful … so we have asked the court to rule on that.”
One reason that the Department of Health may be investigating the clinic might be the fact that since 2009, the St. Louis-based abortion mill has had to call 911 more than 70 times to provide emergency medical services due to botched abortions. The latest call for emergency services at the clinic was on May 15, only two weeks ago. In fact, emergency services have been called to the clinic three times in a 22-day period ending on May 15.
The most common complication at the facility, which performs surgical abortions, is hemorrhaging, a potentially life-threatening emergency, indicative of an internal injury.
Frankly, with a record like that, the Missouri Department of Health would be remiss if they didn’t insist on interviewing every abortionist and, indeed, every employee involved with the clinic.
The pro-life group Operation Rescue has named the St. Louis abortion mill “America’s most dangerous.”
While mainstream media reports, such as this one from CBS, intone darkly that the women of Missouri are losing their last option for reproductive healthcare, be aware that the clinic in question has a documented history of sending patients to the emergency room because of, what may be, sloppy procedures.
The possible closing of the St. Louis abortion mill comes amid other news of pro-life measures being taken, not only in Missouri, but all around the nation. Thus far in 2019, six states, including Missouri, have passed sweeping pro-life laws intended to make abortion incredibly rare — if not non-existent.
So far this year, Missouri, Indiana, Kentucky, Arkansas, Mississippi, Georgia, and Alabama have passed bills restricting abortion with Alabama’s being the strictest. Governor Kay Ivey recently signed a law making it a crime to perform an abortion in Alabama except when the procedure is necessary to protect the life of the mother. Many other states have passed or are considering “heartbeat” laws, which would ban abortions when a fetal heartbeat can be detected — which is as early as 6-7 weeks gestation. All of these new laws are expected to face vigorous court challenges.
On the other end of the spectrum, New York and Vermont have passed legislation guaranteeing a woman’s right to receive an abortion all the way up to the time of birth. Pro-life groups look to challenge these barbaric laws in court as well.
The flood of new abortion legislation and the accompanying lawsuits look to make upcoming sessions of the U.S. Supreme Court very interesting. Have we finally reached the point in history where the court will be forced to reconsider the infamous 1973 Roe v. Wade decision?
Planned Parenthood likes to operate in secret, with no one able to question their methods or their results. But with more than 70 calls for emergency assistance in a decade due to their incompetance, the situation in Missouri screams out for investigation. The light of day is the best disinfectant under these circumstances — and that’s the thing that Planned Parenthood fears the most.
Photo: AP Images
