Planned Parenthood to restart regular abortion appointments in Columbia, Kansas City next week

Two of Missouri’s nine Planned Parenthood clinics are poised to start performing regularly-scheduled surgical abortions next week, though clinic leadership says access to medication abortions is in the hands of the state. Only surgical abortions will be offered initially as the clinics await state approval to restart medication abortions. The first elective abortion in Missouri since the procedure was banned in 2022 was performed earlier this month in a Kansas City Planned Parenthood clinic. It will now be offering regular appointments for surgical abortions along with the clinic in Columbia, which has not offered the procedure since 2018.

Legal Rulings and Amendment 3

Two weeks ago, Jackson County judge Jerri Zhang struck down the final few regulations for Missouri abortion providers, calling them “unnecessary” and “discriminatory,” opening the door for abortions to resume. The regulations run afoul of the constitutional amendment granting the right to abortion, which voters passed in November as Amendment 3. Among these now defunct regulations is a requirement that abortion clinics submit a complication plan for medication abortions. While Zhang blocked the regulations connected to the complication plan, the statute itself remains, said Emily Wales, president and CEO with Planned Parenthood Great Plains. Wales said Planned Parenthood submitted a complication plan to the state last week, but there has been no indication as to how long it will take to review the plans.

Medication Abortion Status

“We’re in uncharted territory here, because we don’t have regulations that tie to the statute, because they’re blocked,” Wales said. “I would be somewhat surprised if (the state) came back and said they are fine with the plan.” Until that approval arrives, medication abortions cannot begin, Wales said. “I do not have an anticipated timeline for approval or denial of the pending complication plans,” Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services spokeswoman Sami Jo Freeman said. Wales said Planned Parenthood’s clinics in Kansas City and Columbia are stocked with abortion medication and ready to administer it as soon as the state allows. Leadership at the clinic in St. Louis said they are also ready to begin providing the medication as soon as the state green lights it.

Resuming Services in Columbia and Kansas City

The first elective abortion to take place in Columbia since 2018 is scheduled for Monday. Nearly seven years ago, the clinic in central Missouri stopped seeing abortion patients after a new law required abortion providers to have admitting privileges at a nearby hospital. Soon, appointments will be available at least one day a week. The Kansas City clinic, located 125 miles west on Interstate 70, performed the first elective abortion in nearly three years in Missouri on Feb. 15. Beginning Wednesday, the clinic will begin seeing patients for regularly-scheduled surgical abortions at least one day a week. Initially, they are scheduling patients up until 12 weeks in pregnancy, but Wales said they intend to expand the gestational age as they figure out scheduling. The clinic also hopes to expand the pain management offered for surgical abortions. Initially, they plan to offer patients Valium and local anesthetic.

National Abortion Trends and Context

In 2023, 63% of abortions in the United States took place using medication rather than surgical procedures, according to the Guttmacher Institute. That number is increasing as the number of states with bans and restrictions on abortions grow. In states where abortion is legal, medication that induces a miscarriage is available to patients in their first trimester of pregnancy. In recent years, a growing number of women have been ordering abortion medication from online providers in the United States and abroad.

Service Availability Summary

• Columbia Clinic: The first elective abortion is scheduled for Monday; soon, appointments will be available at least one day a week.
• Kansas City Clinic: Regularly-scheduled surgical abortions begin Wednesday for patients up until 12 weeks in pregnancy.
• St. Louis Clinic: Ready to begin providing medication as soon as the state green lights it.