Missouri rules against the state's last abortion clinic
Source: CNN
Missouri rules against the state's last abortion clinic
By Jay Croft and Holly Yan, CNN
Updated 1:06 PM ET, Fri June 21, 2019
(CNN) -- Missouri moved closer to becoming the first state without an abortion clinic Friday when its health department rejected a license renewal for the St. Louis Planned Parenthood location.
A judge had ordered the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services to decide by Friday whether it would renew a license for the clinic, Reproductive Health Services of Planned Parenthood of the St. Louis Region. Judge Michael Stelzer relayed the health department's decision Friday in court.
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The clinic will remain open until further court order, Stelzer added. Should it close, Missouri would become the first state without an abortion clinic in almost 50 years.
The battle has been brewing for weeks, as states across the country move to restrict access to the procedure.
The St. Louis Planned Parenthood clinic sued the state's health department for refusing to renew its license, which was set to expire May 31. Stelzer granted a preliminary injunction that let the facility keep performing abortions while state officials decided on its license.
M'Evie Mead of Planned Parenthood praised the judge Friday for keeping the clinic open for now.
Read more: https://www.cnn.com/2019/06/21/us/missouri-rules-against-last-abortion-clinic/index.html
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