St. Louis, Missouri has long been known to face disheartening rates of poverty. In 2019, the U.S. Census Bureau reported that an estimated 24.2% of residents may be living in poverty. Mission: St. Louis, a Missouri-based organization, has reported that up to 40% of children in the city may be born into poverty. While the […]
After Legal Dispute, Missouri’s Only Abortion Clinic Gets License
On Thursday, Missouri’s only abortion clinic was issued a license to operate for another year. The license ensures that Planned Parenthood of the St. Louis Region can continue safely providing abortions until it must be renewed again in June 2021. The license comes after a year-long dispute with the Missouri Department of Health and Senior […]
First Female African American Mayor Elected in Ferguson
On Tuesday night, Ella Jones, 65, was elected to serve as Ferguson, Missouri’s next mayor. A former city councilwoman, Jones will become the first African American and first female mayor in the city’s history. Jones received 54 percent of the vote, and her opponent, councilwoman Heather Robinett, lost by 138 votes. Jones will succeed James […]
Patients Seek Out-of-State Care as Missouri’s Only Abortion Clinic Threatened with Closure
Missouri’s strict abortion laws have begun pushing patients out of the state to seek reproductive healthcare, reports Planned Parenthood. The state’s only remaining abortion clinic has seen a severe drop in patients as it fights a legal battle against the state government to stay open. The clinic, Reproductive Health Services of Planned Parenthood of the […]
House Oversight Committee Holds Hearing On State Reproductive Health Care Access
The House Committee on Oversight and Reform held a congressional hearing on November 14, 2019 to examine state efforts to undermine access to reproductive health care. Led by Acting Chairwoman Maloney, the committee examined “how states, emboldened by the Trump Administration’s sustained and systematic attacks on reproductive health care, are restricting access, and it will […]
Missouri’s State Health Department Tracked Patients’ Periods in an Attempt to Identify Failed Abortions
Missouri’s top health official testified Tuesday that the state health department kept a spreadsheet monitoring detailed personal information about Planned Parenthood patients, tracking patient’s menstrual cycles with the aim of identifying those who had failed abortions — news that has raised questions about patient privacy violations. The spreadsheet included patients’ medical identification numbers, dates of […]
Last Remaining Abortion Clinic in Missouri Denied License Renewal
The sole remaining abortion clinic in the state of Missouri is waiting on a further decision from the circuit court after the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) declined to renew their license last Friday, citing concerns for patients and perceived regulatory violations that were not fixed after an inspection. With the license […]
Injunction Granted; Last Clinic in Missouri Remains Open for Now
Monday, a Missouri circuit court judge granted Reproductive Health Services of Planned Parenthood of the St. Louis Region a preliminary injunction, allowing the clinic to continue providing abortion services; this injunction will keep Missouri’s last clinic that provides abortion services to remain open for the time being. The judge ordered Missouri’s Department of Health and […]
Missouri’s Last Abortion Provider may Close Today
Missouri may become the first state without a clinic that provides abortion services after the Missouri health department refused to renew Planned Parenthood’s license to perform abortions, which expires today. The license expires because of what Planned Parenthood argues are politically motivated and arbitrary regulations targeted at the clinic and Planned Parenthood is suing the […]
States are Passing Extreme Anti-Abortion Laws to Challenge Roe v. Wade
Yesterday, Alabama’s female Governor Kay Ivey signed into law the most restrictive and cruel anti-abortion legislation in the United States, legislation that female Representative Terry Collins introduced in the state house to challenge Roe v. Wade. This past week both Georgia and Alabama have passed extreme anti-abortion legislation, revealing the conservative agenda to overturn Roe […]
U.S. House Holds First ERA Hearing in Over Three Decades
Last week, high profile women’s rights advocates and feminists gathered in Washington, D.C. for the first Congressional hearing on the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) in over three decades. The ERA is a proposed amendment to the U.S. Constitution that would specifically ban discrimination on the basis of sex.
ERA Introduced in Missouri State Senate
Last week, Missouri State Senator Jill Schupp introduced the Equal Rights Amendment into the state senate for ratification. Senator Schupp faces a tough battle in the Missouri State Senate after the Senate President Pro Tem Dave Schatz announced that he would oppose the legislation. Missouri’s Senate is composed of 24 Republicans and 10 Democrats and […]
Michael Brown’s Mother Running for Ferguson City Council
Lesley McSpadden announced this week that she is running for City Council in Ferguson, Missouri’s 3rd Ward, a position that would allow her to have oversight over the police department that was involved in the 2014 shooting of her son, Michael Brown. “I wanted to go back and do something right in a place that […]
Remembering the Little Rock Nine
Although it has been 60 years since the Little Rock Nine entered Central High School, civil rights are still under attack.
Missouri Celebrates an Increases in Abortion Access After Lawsuit
A Planned Parenthood clinic in Missouri will now provide patients access to safe and legal medication abortions. Missouri has some of the toughest laws on abortion and until last week, there was only one abortion clinic in the entire state located in St. Louis.
Anti-Abortion Measures to Move Through Missouri Senate
In response, the Committee on Seniors, Families and Children produced a new package bill with three proposals, including provisions mandating unannounced inspections of clinics and further regulations on how to handle fetal tissue post-procedure.
Two Unaffiliated Anti-Abortion Extremists Plead Guilty to FACE Violations
A Joplin, Missouri man was sentenced to 63 months in jail on Tuesday for setting fire to a local mosque and attempting to burn down the town’s Planned Parenthood clinic twice.
Missouri Politicians Introduce “All Lives Matter” Personhood Bill
In a startling misappropriation of the Black Lives Matter movement, anti-reproductive rights politicians in Missouri started off the new year by introducing the so-called “All Lives Matter Act” – a bill designed to strengthen Missouri’s already existing personhood law.
Department of Justice May Sue Ferguson Over Race Discrimination
The Department of Justice will sue Ferguson, Missouri, if it finds evidence that its police department discriminates based on race and that its authorities aren’t trying to make changes, according to CNN.
US Receives “C” Grade On Reproductive Rights
While the US overall grade is a C, 15 states failed outright.