This morning, the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services refused to renew the license of a Planned Parenthood clinic, which is the last abortion clinic in the state. However, minutes after that announcement, a St. Louis judge extended an injunction and allowed the clinic to continue operating despite not having a license.
This particular Planned Parenthood clinic is infamous for its poor health standards. Botched abortion procedures at this clinic have resulted in 72 calls to 911 over the past decade. Last year, the Heritage Foundation highlighted this clinic as one of the worst in the nation because it failed health inspections for having moldy and unsterilized medical instruments with bodily fluids on them.
According to the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, the clinic was informed in early April that the Department of Health and Senior Services would need to interview Planned Parenthood’s physicians because of six different concerns, including “violations of Missouri law” and “standard care for patient safety.” Despite this advanced notice, the department says Planned Parenthood submitted its licensing application “on the last day that it would be accepted,” and that after review of the application, the clinic “ha[d] still not agreed to full compliance” wth Missouri law.
Planned Parenthood President Leana Wen sounded off on Twitter this morning, saying the Department of Health and Senior Services has “weaponized” regulations to blocking abortion access. By “weaponized,” they mean “enforced.” Planned Parenthood knew exactly what the laws were, they broke the laws, and they got caught. Several times.
Despite this, St. Louis Circuit Court judge Michael Stelzer is bailing Planned Parenthood out again.
The clinic’s license initially expired at the end of May. The clinic has already been operating on an expired license for three weeks, as the renewal date for their old license was May 31. The court granted the clinic a temporary injunction on June 10, as the Missouri Department of Health and Human Services had yet to make a final decision on the clinic’s licensing renewal.
This decision was (somewhat) understandable. But now the court is simply overruling the clear letter of the law.
In a press conference broadcasted on Facebook by the Missouri Department of Health and Human this afternoon, DHSS Director Randall Williams said that Planned Parenthood was cited for 30 deficiencies, 26 of which had not been corrected. Williams highlighted three of the deficiencies in detail, including instances of medical malpractice that were not reported to government officials as required by law. When asked about the new court injunction allowing Planned Parenthood to continue operating without a license, Williams declined to comment. “I’m not going to get into all of the legal ramifications,” he said.
The next step in this process is uncertain. According to NPR, Stelzer could ask Planned Parenthood and Missouri DHSS to settle the dispute before the Administrative Hearing Commission, or Stelzer could hear the case again to provide a definitive ruling at a later date.
Upon fixing those deficiencies, Planned Parenthood should be allowed to operate as it normally does. But in the meantime, the clinic should have been forced to close its doors.
