Missouri Legal professional Common Andrew Bailey issued cease-and-desist orders towards Deliberate Parenthood services within the state to bar them from providing remedy abortions despite the fact that they don’t present them.
“Planned Parenthood has a documented history of subverting state law, including failure to file complication reports,” Bailey mentioned in a press launch issued Wednesday.
“This cease and desist letter ensures that basic health and safety standards are met. Given Planned Parenthood’s history, I will continue to ensure their compliance with state law.”
Missourians voted to enshrine abortion rights into the state structure final November, however abortion providers have been paused and solely just lately restarted on the state’s two Deliberate Parenthood clinics: Deliberate Parenthood Nice Rivers and Deliberate Parenthood Nice Plains.
Each clinics started performing solely surgical abortions in Missouri this month since, beneath state legislation, neither facility can present sufferers with abortion remedy till they obtain approval for a complication plan.
The orders come roughly every week after Bailey issued a discover of intent to file a cease-and-desist order towards the Deliberate Parenthood clinics for allegedly violating Missouri state legislation.
Bailey claims in a press launch printed together with the orders that the clinics are providing remedy abortions with out authorized complication plans.
Each Deliberate Parenthood clinics mentioned they don’t seem to be offering remedy abortions in accordance with state legislation and, in an announcement, added they submitted complication plans in February however have but to obtain a response from the state Division of Well being and Senior Providers.
Margot Riphagen, CEO of Deliberate Parenthood Nice Rivers, known as the orders “baseless political posturing.
“There is nothing to cease or desist,” she mentioned in an announcement despatched to The Hill. “Missouri’s Deliberate Parenthood well being facilities have complied with the legislation, and have been ready weeks for approval of our complication plan with a view to start providing remedy abortion to our sufferers.”
She added that the lawyer normal ought to implement a timeline for the Division of Well being and Senior Providers to reply to the complication plan.
“Medication abortion has not been available at our Missouri health centers since 2018, and we will not provide medication abortion until we meet legal requirements,” mentioned Emily Wales, president and CEO of Deliberate Parenthood Nice Plains.
The Division of Well being and Senior Providers didn’t reply to questions from The Hill in regards to the complication plans submitted by each Deliberate Parenthood well being clinics.