Missouri commission to decide whether state’s only abortion provider can operate

A Missouri commission that acts as an independent mediator in cases involving state agencies and private entities will be meeting over the course of this week to discuss the fate of the only remaining abortion provider in the state. The facility is operated by Planned Parenthood. Missouri has taken steps to restrict access to abortion, including an attempted ban on abortions performed after eight weeks of pregnancy that was blocked by a federal judge. In June, the state refused to renew a permit application for the Planned Parenthood facility in St. Louis to be able to perform abortions, but the organization appealed and eventually won a stay. Depending on what the commission decides, Missouri could become the first state since 1973’s Roe v. Wade decision to have no legal abortion providers.