Operation Rescue reported earlier this year that Missouri has become the first abortion-free state in America.
“At least in practice for now,” the group wrote.
While there is a Reproductive Health Services Planned Parenthood in St. Louis, Operation Rescue confirmed no abortion appointments have been available at the location for months.
“And none are available anytime in the foreseeable future,” the article said.
All of the abortion appointments are being referred to a Planned Parenthood in Illinois.
Operation Rescue noted that the St. Louis location had won a “dramatic licensing battle” in May after it was relicensed by an Administrative Court judge despite the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services objecting due to an unsafe facility that was out of compliance with state regulations.
The location voluntarily halted surgical abortions shortly after being relicensed and had earlier stopped distributing abortion-inducing pills due to an unwillingness to comply with state laws regulating the drug.
“While the RHS Planned Parenthood remains open and licensed for abortions, we confirmed that none are being done there. That means this facility is currently acting only as an abortion referral center. There is no operational abortion facility in the State of Missouri, making it the first Abortion-Free State at this time,” said Operation Rescue President Troy Newman. “It is obvious that Planned Parenthood of the St. Louis Region, which operates RHSPP, seeks to avoid having to comply with Missouri’s strong pro-life laws, and has opted to abort in Illinois where abortion facilities are essentially unaccountable. This shows a gross disrespect for the lives and safety of the women Planned Parenthood purports to serve.”
Operation Rescue reported there are 706 active abortion facilities in America. Since the organization began tracking the number of abortion facilities in 2009, the number of surgical abortion facilities has dropped by 255.
Nearly 10 percent of all abortion facilities in America operate telemedicine abortion programs. Last year (2020) was the first year Operation Rescue tracked that statistic.
