Planned Parenthood goes to Supreme Court to expand service in Missouri

On Friday, Missouri Planned Parenthood affiliates asked the U.S. Supreme Court to vacate an appeals court order so that abortion services could expand to three health centers.

In April, a federal judge issue a preliminary injunction to block abortion-restricting rules in Missouri. The Kansas City clinic got its license in mid-September, but last week’s ruling by the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals delayed licenses for the other clinics, including one in Columbia.

“For many years, medically unnecessary abortion restrictions resulted in the state having only one health center for patients to obtain safe, legal abortion,” a written statement from St. Louis and Kansas City Planned Parenthood groups said. “This is hardest on people who already face barriers to care including young people, women of color, those who live in rural areas, and people with low incomes.”

“The Supreme Court has already ruled that similar laws in Texas are medically unnecessary and unconstitutional,” said Aaron Samulcek with Planned Parenthood. “These continued attacks against Missourians are categorically negligent when you consider the countless patients who simply cannot access safe, legal abortion in the state of Missouri.”

Planned Parenthood also noted that the Supreme Court struck down abortion regulations in Texas that were nearly identical to Missouri’s regulations just last year.