Planned Parenthood pushes back against Missouri AG’s cease-and-desist
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey issued a cease-and-desist order against Planned Parenthood facilities in the state, prohibiting them from performing medication abortions without an approved complication plan from state health officials.
However, Planned Parenthood officials contend they are not currently offering medication abortions and have complied with state requirements. Abortion appointments resumed last week at Columbia's Planned Parenthood, the first of which since 2018.
Both the Columbia and midtown KC clinics will only offer procedural, or surgical, abortion care for now as Planned Parenthood is working through a compliance process with the state for medication abortion, a spokesperson said in February.
Bailey announced on Monday that he intends to formally serve Planned Parenthood Great Plains, which operates clinics in the Kansas City metro and Columbia, with a cease-and-desist order. The move mirrors a similar action taken earlier this month against Planned Parenthood Great Rivers, which runs clinics in St. Louis, Springfield and Rolla.
The Attorney General’s Office argues that Planned Parenthood has a history of failing to comply with state laws regarding abortion procedures. Bailey cited past testimony from Planned Parenthood officials acknowledging they had not filed required complication reports.
"Planned Parenthood has demonstrated a disturbing pattern of performing abortions without the necessary complication plans, failing to report complications, and willfully violating state law,” Bailey said in a statement. “It is my duty to enforce the law and protect the lives and safety of Missourians. Missouri will not tolerate Planned Parenthood’s blatant disregard of the law and the safety of women.”
Planned Parenthood officials have refuted Bailey’s claims, calling his actions politically motivated. Both Planned Parenthood Great Rivers and Planned Parenthood Great Plains said they submitted their required complication plans in February and are still awaiting approval from the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services.
“This letter is baseless political posturing,” Planned Parenthood Great Rivers CEO Margot Riphagen wrote in a response to Bailey. “Notably, while you issued a press release with this letter, you never actually served it on Great Rivers. Your letter completely ignores that a Missouri court has ruled in Great Rivers’s favor and that Great Rivers submitted a proposed complication plan on February 20, 2025, which the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (“DHSS”) appears to have completely ignored and based on your letter, you seem to be unaware that it was submitted.”
Planned Parenthood Great Plains echoed similar frustrations, with President and CEO Emily Wales stating that the organization has followed legal requirements and is awaiting a response from health officials.
“The Attorney General seems to have a hard time understanding what we have said publicly for weeks now: we submitted a complication plan for medication abortion in compliance with state law,” Wales said in a statement. “Never underestimate the desperation of a politician after they’ve lost at the ballot box and in court. The absurdity of the Attorney General’s actions would be laughable if it weren’t for the harm this causes providers and the confusion it creates for Missourians, especially those seeking abortion care. Comprehensive Health of Planned Parenthood Great Plains continues to provide procedural abortion appointments in Missouri.”
Missouri law requires abortion providers to have an approved complication plan outlining how they will handle potential medical emergencies. Bailey has cited FDA data showing that more than 4.5% of women who undergo medication abortions experience complications requiring emergency care.
Despite Bailey’s claims, Planned Parenthood maintains that it is in compliance with state law and is being unfairly targeted. The organization has vowed to continue providing reproductive health services while it awaits a decision on its complication plans.
The issue remains a divisive topic across the state. Several anti-abortion protesters gathered Tuesday outside the fence surrounding Columbia’s Planned Parenthood clinic. Among them was Connie Girling, who described herself as a “prayer volunteer for life.” She is one of a small group of people who take turns standing outside the facility for the past several weeks.
“Life is sacred. We always have to look at the sacredness of life,” Girling said. “Mothers need help. And sometimes when they have an unplanned pregnancy, they just need help. And they're kind of like victims, just like the unborn babies are.”
A Jackson County judge recently struck down state restrictions that had prevented abortions from proceeding in Missouri after voters approved Amendment 3 in November. The amendment enshrines reproductive health care as a right under the Missouri Constitution.
Girling, who traveled from Blackwater to Columbia to protest, said she hopes women seeking abortions consider other options available in the state.
“They have 52 laws that encourage women to have life,” she said. “We have pregnancy centers right across the street here. And there's one in Jeff City, and they're starting one up in Sedalia.”
