Court stops licenses needed for abortions at some Missouri facilities
A federal court has put a halt on the issuance of licenses needed to provide abortions throughout the state.
The Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals on Friday granted the state’s appeal to stop the Department of Health from issuing licenses to several facilities, including one in Columbia.
“I applaud the Eighth Circuit’s decision,” Attorney General Josh Hawley said in an emailed statement. “The health and safety of Missouri women will now be protected while the court considers the merit of our appeal.”
A majority of the eight active judges of the circuit voted for the re-hearing, which led to a stay in the licenses being issued. Michael Gans, clerk of the Eighth Circuit, told ABC 17 News that they do not disclose the exact results of the vote.
A date for the hearing has not been set.
Columbia’s Planned Parenthood clinic was expected to receive its license this week to begin providing abortions. The clinic lost its ambulatory surgical center license in 2015.
Planned Parenthood sued the state to block some rules considered unnecessary for clinics to abide by in protecting the health and safety of women there. The district court granted a temporary injunction in April that stopped the state from enforcing those rules.
“We have never and will never stop fighting for our patients’ ability to access safe, legal abortion – that is a promise we intend to keep,” Aaron Samulcek, interim president and CEO of Planned Parenthood Great Plains said in a statement.
Planned Parenthood’s Kansas City facility recevied its license to provide abortions earlier this week. Samulcek said the decision does not affect that facility’s license.
Hawley’s office argued that the district court didn’t consider some of the “physical risks” women that get abortions face, and why the the ambulatory surgical center requirements provide greater safety.
The U.S. Supreme Court decided that similar rules in Texas placed an undue burden on women accessing abortion services in that state.
