Amy Harrison of St. Louis crafted a candle stick holder to hold coat hangers, symbols of self-induced abortions, at an abortion rights rally downtown on Tuesday, May 21, 2019. "It's our right to have bodily autonomy," said Harrison. Photo by Robert Cohen, rcohen@post-dispatch.com.
Robert Cohen
Ellen Prize of the Coalition for Life approaches exiting cars from the parking lot of Planned Parenthood to hand out literature at the Central West End facility on Tuesday, May 28, 2019. Planned Parenthood officials said the facility's license was in jeopardy after the state sought to "interrogate" doctors as part of an annual license renewal process. Photo by Robert Cohen, rcohen@post-dispatch.com.
Robert Cohen
A clinic escort awaits patients at Planned Parenthood in the Central West End facility on Tuesday, May 28, 2019. Planned Parenthood officials said the facility's license was in jeopardy after the state sought to "interrogate" doctors as part of an annual license renewal process. Photo by Robert Cohen, rcohen@post-dispatch.com.
Robert Cohen
The Missouri and American flags fly from Planned Parenthood in the Central West End facility on Tuesday, May 28, 2019. Photo by Robert Cohen, rcohen@post-dispatch.com.
Robert Cohen
Shelby Morgan of Barnhart is dressed as a handmaid as she stands in front of the Old Courthouse during a rally on Tuesday, May 21, 2019, in opposition of a ban on abortions after eight weeks of pregnancy recently passed by the Missouri legislature. "I believe that women should have a choice about what to do with their bodies," said Morgan. Photo by Robert Cohen, rcohen@post-dispatch.com.
Robert Cohen
Protesters block Fourth Street downtown after a rally on Tuesday, May 21, 2019, for abortion rights and in opposition of changes recently passed by the Missouri legislature. Photo by Robert Cohen, rcohen@post-dispatch.com.
Robert Cohen
A coat hanger, a symbol of self-induced abortion, was on frequent display at a downtown abortion rights rally on Tuesday, May 21, 2019. Photo by Robert Cohen, rcohen@post-dispatch.com.
JEFFERSON CITY — Planned Parenthood, which operates Missouri's only abortion clinic, said Tuesday it may be forced to cease abortions at the St. Louis facility this week amid a legal fight with the state.
Planned Parenthood leaders said the facility's license was in jeopardy after the state sought to "interrogate" doctors as part of an annual license renewal process. They said the move was an "intimidation" tactic by the Department of Health and Senior Services.
DHSS officials did not immediately respond to the accusations.
However, Dr. Randall Williams, the state department's director, told the Post-Dispatch that the state would make a decision by Friday on whether to renew the facility's license. Before Planned Parenthood officials' comments Tuesday morning, Williams said he could not comment on the pending license renewal application.
Since Planned Parenthood and the state have not come to an agreement on staff interviews, the Central West End clinic may have to end abortion services on Friday when its current license expires, Planned Parenthood officials said.
"Missouri would be the first state in the country to go dark — without a health center that provides safe, legal abortion care," Dr. Leana Wen, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood Federation of America, said in a statement.
In a lawsuit filed Tuesday in St. Louis Circuit Court, Planned Parenthood attorneys said the state was "unlawfully conditioning" renewal of the facility's license on the completion of an investigation into a patient complaint — the reason for the staff interviews, the lawsuit says.
Reproductive Health Services of Planned Parenthood of the St. Louis Region runs the clinic.
Most of the law's provisions — including one prohibiting most abortions eight weeks into a pregnancy — do not take effect until the end of August.
In Metro East, Planned Parenthood operates an abortion clinic in Belleville. Another abortion provider, the Hope Clinic for Women, operates in Granite City.
Dr. Erin King, executive director of the Hope Clinic, said when the Missouri Legislature approved the new law that the clinic would work with patients from conservative states such as Missouri, which could lose access to abortion services.
“We will continue to be one option for Missouri patients, as we always have. While the state of Missouri is waging a war against its abortion services and providers, the Hope Clinic remains committed to the patients of Missouri,” she said in a statement on Tuesday. “We will do everything in our power to make sure that further barriers associated with seeking abortion care out of state are lessened to the best of our ability.”
Meanwhile, the ACLU of Missouri submitted a referendum to the Missouri secretary of state's office on Tuesday in an effort to repeal the abortion law that Parson, a Republican, signed last week.
The ACLU and its allies will have to collect more than 100,000 signatures and turn them into the secretary of state before Aug. 28, when the law is supposed to go into effect.
If the group turns in enough signatures, the state will not be allowed to enact the law. At that point, a simple majority of voters could veto the law once it is placed on the ballot in 2020.
"He is not involved with our referendum effort, thus far, at least," said Sara Baker, legislative and policy director for the ACLU of Missouri. But, she said, "we are very open to forming a broad right-left coalition on this."
The method is the same one unions used last year in their successful effort to overturn the state's short-lived right-to-work law.
Images of abortion protests since 1973
Photos: Abortion protests in St. Louis since 1973
1973 - Anti-abortion protest along North Euclid
1977 - Abortion protesters on SLU's campus
1978 - Abortion rights supporters in downtown St. Louis
1978 - Abortion protesters
1979 - Anti-abortion protest near the Arch
1980 - Anti-abortion protest in Kiener Plaza
1980 - Anti-abortion protest along Market Street
1985 - Abortion rights protest in CWE church
1986 - Abortion rights protesters at SLU
1989 - Abortion rights protesters in Forest Park
1991 - Anti-abortion protest during 'Life Chain'
2005 - Anti-abortion protest in Granite City
2005 - Abortion rights protest at Planned Parenthood
2005 - Anti-abortion protest at Planned Parenthood
2008 - Anti-abortion protest at Planned Parenthood
2017 - Abortion rights protest along Lindell
2017 - Anti-abortion protest at Planned Parenthood
2019 - Anti-abortion protest in St. Louis
2019 - Abortion rights protest in downtown
2019 - Abortion rights protest in state capitol
2019 - Anti-abortion and abortion rights activists protest at clinic
2019 - Abortion rights rally results in arrests downtown
2019 - Abortion rights rally results in arrests downtown
2019 - Anti-abortion protesters hold rally outside Planned Parenthood clinic
2021 - Anti-Abortion advocates rally in St. Louis on the anniversary of Roe v. Wade
2021 - Planned Parenthood St. Louis
2022 - Hundreds attend abortion rights rally at Kiener Plaza
2022 - Anti-abortion activists hold weekly prayer vigil
2022 - Roe v. Wade overturned by the Supreme Court
Like his child, Dusty Farr says he also changed. “There’s the dead me. And then there’s the new me.”
Amy Harrison of St. Louis crafted a candle stick holder to hold coat hangers, symbols of self-induced abortions, at an abortion rights rally downtown on Tuesday, May 21, 2019. "It's our right to have bodily autonomy," said Harrison. Photo by Robert Cohen, rcohen@post-dispatch.com.
Ellen Prize of the Coalition for Life approaches exiting cars from the parking lot of Planned Parenthood to hand out literature at the Central West End facility on Tuesday, May 28, 2019. Planned Parenthood officials said the facility's license was in jeopardy after the state sought to "interrogate" doctors as part of an annual license renewal process. Photo by Robert Cohen, rcohen@post-dispatch.com.
A clinic escort awaits patients at Planned Parenthood in the Central West End facility on Tuesday, May 28, 2019. Planned Parenthood officials said the facility's license was in jeopardy after the state sought to "interrogate" doctors as part of an annual license renewal process. Photo by Robert Cohen, rcohen@post-dispatch.com.
The Missouri and American flags fly from Planned Parenthood in the Central West End facility on Tuesday, May 28, 2019. Photo by Robert Cohen, rcohen@post-dispatch.com.
Shelby Morgan of Barnhart is dressed as a handmaid as she stands in front of the Old Courthouse during a rally on Tuesday, May 21, 2019, in opposition of a ban on abortions after eight weeks of pregnancy recently passed by the Missouri legislature. "I believe that women should have a choice about what to do with their bodies," said Morgan. Photo by Robert Cohen, rcohen@post-dispatch.com.
Protesters block Fourth Street downtown after a rally on Tuesday, May 21, 2019, for abortion rights and in opposition of changes recently passed by the Missouri legislature. Photo by Robert Cohen, rcohen@post-dispatch.com.
A coat hanger, a symbol of self-induced abortion, was on frequent display at a downtown abortion rights rally on Tuesday, May 21, 2019. Photo by Robert Cohen, rcohen@post-dispatch.com.