Springfield News-Leader

Gov. Parson signs bill blocking Medicaid funds from abortion providers

- Kelly Dereuck

Gov. Mike Parson signed legislatio­n denying Medicaid funds to abortion providers or affiliated entities, which by extension includes Planned Parenthood, even though abortion has been illegal in Missouri since 2022.

“Our administra­tion has been the strongest pro-life administra­tion in Missouri history,” Parson said. “We've ended all elective abortions in this state, approved new support for mothers, expecting mothers, and children, and, with this bill, ensured that we are not sending taxpayer dollars to abortion providers for any purpose. We thank members of the General Assembly for recognizin­g this important issue and sending this legislatio­n to my desk.”

This legislatio­n faced opposition from Democratic members of both the Missouri House and Senate, but was approved with members voting along party lines, as Republican­s hold a supermajor­ity in both chambers.

During floor debate, Democratic House members raised concerns that defunding Planned Parenthood would only prevent low-income patients who rely on Medicaid fund from receiving reproducti­ve healthcare.

Rep. Deb Lavender, D-Manchester, said during debate last month that 30,000 women get their health care from Planned Parenthood, and the average wait time for other providers is anywhere from two to 10 weeks, and most federally qualified health care providers are already short staffed.

“To say that 30,000 people can just go somewhere else for essential reproducti­ve health care is willful ignorance on all of you,” Lavender said.

In a statement released after Parson signed the legislatio­n, Planned Parenthood Great Plains and Planned Parenthood of St. Louis Region and Southwest Missouri vowed that their health care facilities would be “open to all.”

"Planned Parenthood health centers play a critical role in Missouri's health care safety net. 'Defunding' Planned Parenthood risks the sustainabi­lity of the state's entire health care system and the health of all Missourian­s who rely on it. We remain committed to fighting for the rights of all Missourian­s to access the care they need and deserve. We will do everything we can to continue serving our patients in Missouri and beyond with quality, compassion­ate, life-saving health care," the healthcare providers said in the release.

This is the latest attempt by Missouri Republican­s to defund Planned Parenthood, after the Missouri Supreme Court struck down two previous attempts to do so through denying them funds in the state budget.

Four other states have done so, although Arkansas is the only state in which the policy has cleared legal hurdles and is currently implemente­d.

This legislatio­n will likely face legal challenges, as was the case for the past two attempts to defund Planned Parenthood through the state budget process. Although the court ruled against these attempts, Susan Klein, executive director of Missouri Right to Life, an anti-abortion group, feels that the rulings revealed a legal method to accomplish this goal through state statute.

"In 2020, Planned Parenthood and others filed suit against that defunding process and the Missouri Supreme Court agreed that it was unconstitu­tional but also stated that the defunding could be done by placing the pro-life protective language in statute," Klein said in a release. "The legislatur­e has now successful­ly placed the pro-life language, which will go into effect at the end of August, in statute."

Planned Parenthood contends that this measure is in violation of federal Medicaid law, "which guarantees every patients' right to choose any willing and qualified provider."

"This bill not only defies the ruling of Missouri's highest court but also flouts federal Medicaid law. By denying Medicaid patients' right to receive health care from Planned Parenthood, politician­s are directly obstructin­g access to muchneeded health services, including birth control, cancer screenings, annual wellness exams, and STI testing and treatment," Missouri's Planned Parenthood groups said in a release.

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