Planned Parenthood told CBS News on Tuesday that the Missouri health department is “refusing to renew” its license to perform abortions in the state, and its last clinic may close at the end of the month.
“This is not a drill. This is not a warning. This is a real public health crisis,” Dr. Leana Wen, president and CEO of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America, told CBS.
Planned Parenthood said in a statement provided to CBS that it plans to sue “in order to try to keep serving Missouri women.”
The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services told Planned Parenthood on May 20 that there were three issues that might affect their license renewal. The organization informed the state on May 22 that it would address two of these issues, changing who administers the state-mandated counseling at the clinic and including an additional pelvis exam for patients seeking an abortion.
However, Planned Parenthood said the third issue was not something they could control, as the department said it had to interview seven physicians at the clinic for an investigation into “deficient practices,” but Planned Parenthood says it can only provide interviews with two employees, as the other physicians are not employed by Planned Parenthood. The health department said that it could not complete the investigation without the interviews and that these interviews must be conducted before the clinic’s license expires on May 31.
Via NewsMax
