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Judge Allows Last Clinic Providing Abortions in Missouri to Temporarily Remain Open

A judge granted the clinic a temporary restraining order, allowing the clinic to operate until at least Tuesday.

A judge in Missouri granted a temporary restraining order for the state’s last clinic offering abortions, allowing it to remain operating until at least Tuesday, after its license expires at midnight Friday, according to CNBC. Judge Michael Stelzer reportedly gave Reproductive Health Services of Planned Parenthood more time to resolve its dispute with the state, which claims it found a “number of serious health concerns” at the clinic during an ongoing audit. According to the state, the audit must be complete before the clinic can renew its license. The clinic claims the state is politically motivated to close the facility, and filed a lawsuit this week alleging that Missouri was “abusing its regulatory authority.” Had Stelzer not granted the restraining order, Missouri would have been the first state in the U.S. without a clinic offering abortion services since 1974.