Gov. Parson protests Planned Parenthood lawsuit
Gov. Mike Parson attacked Planned Parenthood in a news conference Wednesday after the organization said this week that it could lose its last abortion license in Missouri.
Playback of a live video stream of the event is available in the player below.
Planned Parenthood’s facility in St. Louis is Missouri’s only abortion clinic, and it could be closed by the end of the week if the state decides not to renew the clinic’s license. Parson stood by the Department of Health and Senior Services’ review of the facility, which he said has uncovered “numerous” health and regulatory violations.
A spokesperson for Planned Parenthood did not immediately respond to a request for comment Wednesday afternoon.
“Planned Parenthood’s apparent disregard for the law, their failure to complete complication records and the accuracy of medical records are all serious concerns that need to be addressed prior to any license renewal,” Parson said.
Parson said information provided by Planned Parenthood as well as the DHSS revealed several violations. He said there had been three failed abortions at the St. Louis clinic. One case, he said, required the patient to be transported to a hospital for emergency surgery.
Parson also said physicians knowingly violated a regulation that requires the operating physician to be the one to sign an informed consent letter with the patient 72 hours before an abortion.
Last week, Parson, who has said he wants Missouri to be the most pro-life state in the country, signed a ban on abortions after 8 weeks into law with no exception for cases of rape or incest. He told ABC 17 News at the news conference that the ongoing review is a separate issue.
“This is not a pro-life issue. This is about a standard of care for women for the state of Missouri,” Parson said. “Whether it’s (the St. Louis) clinic — or any other clinic or any other hospital — (Planned Parenthood) should have to meet the same standards. They know what these standards are, they knew they had the deficiencies. They had two months to correct that and abide by the law, that’s all we’re asking for.”
Planned Parenthood officials said in a teleconference that the current license for the St. Louis facility expires Friday. If it is not renewed, the organization said Missouri would become the first state without a functioning abortion clinic since the 1973 Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision.
If it closes, the nearest clinics performing abortions are in a Kansas suburb of Kansas City and in Granite City, Illinois, across the Mississippi River from St. Louis.
Planned Parenthood filed a lawsuit against the state Tuesday, which is why Parson said he decided to hold the news conference.
A hearing is scheduled for Thursday morning in the case.
“It would be reckless for any judge to grant a temporary restraining order before the state has taken action on a license renewal. No judge should give special treatment to Planned Parenthood in this instance,” Parson said.
Planned Parenthood issued a written response in an email Wednesday evening following Parson’s statements. “Governor Parson attempted to defend new and medically unnecessary requirements intended to deter women from seeking abortion,” said Dr. Colleen McNicholas of Planned Parenthood St. Louis.
Read the full statement from McNicholas and Dr. Leana Wen, President and CEO of Planned Parenthood Federation of America, below:
