Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Large Planned Parenthood Clinic Built In Secret Near Illinois-Missouri Border
CBS News: Planned Parenthood Has Been Building A Secret Abortion "Mega-Clinic" In Illinois
After over a year of secret construction, Planned Parenthood announced its newest abortion facility on Wednesday: an 18,000-square-foot mega-clinic in southern Illinois. The new location is just 13 miles away from Missouri's last remaining abortion clinic, a facility in St. Louis fighting to keep its license. Since August 2018, Planned Parenthood has used a shell company to construct the facility, leaving no public trace that the former medical office would become one of the largest abortion clinics in the country. CBS News first visited the site in August, while it was still being built. (Smith, 10/2)
NPR: Planned Parenthood To Open Large New Facility In Illinois Near Missouri Border
Planned Parenthood announced it will continue to provide "medication abortion and a full range of family planning services, including birth control, annual exams, cancer screenings, STI testing, and HIV prevention, including PrEP." The new facility will also provide access to surgical abortions, in addition to the services previously listed. (Zialcita, 10/2)
The Washington Post: As Missouri Restricts Abortion, Planned Parenthood Opens Massive New Clinic Across The Border
Missouri has some of the most severe abortion restrictions in the country, while neighboring Illinois has expanded access to its residents. Planned Parenthood operates the only remaining abortion provider in Missouri, located in St. Louis. That clinic will remain open, according to the organization. (Epstein, 10/2)
The Associated Press: New Abortion Clinic Being Built In Illinois, Near St. Louis
“While health care access in Missouri continues to hang on by a thread, Illinois is well-positioned to serve as a health care hub in the region,” said Yamelsie Rodriguez, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood of the St. Louis Region and Southwest Missouri. Planned Parenthood has been battling Missouri’s health department for months to try and keep open its St. Louis clinic. The state has refused to renew its license to perform abortions, citing concerns that include “failed abortions” that required additional surgeries. (Salter, 10/2)
Belleville News Democrat: New Planned Parenthood Abortion Clinic In Fairview Heights Was Built In Secret
Planned Parenthood is taking a step to increase access to abortions in the metro-east and the region with a new state-of-the-art center in Fairview Heights. Reproductive Health Services of Planned Parenthood of the St. Louis Region will expand abortion services in the new facility, providing both surgical and medication abortions. It is expected to begin seeing patients in late October. (Mansouri, Bustos and Cortes, 10/2)
Kansas City Star: What New Illinois Abortion Clinic Means For Missouri
With its sole clinic for abortions in Missouri facing a restrictive new state law, Planned Parenthood announced Wednesday it will expand across the border to Illinois with a new 18,000-square-foot facility. The new building, which cost about $7 million, will replace an existing “tiny storefront along a strip mall” in Fairview Heights, Ill., that offered only medication abortions, according to Jesse Lawder, spokesman for Planned Parenthood of the St. Louis Region and Southwest Missouri. (Thomas, 10/2)
CBS News: Inside Missouri's Last Abortion Clinic
One of the most difficult places to get an abortion is Missouri, a state home to just one abortion clinic and a bevy of restrictions for patients and their providers. CBS News was granted exclusive access to the lone clinic in St. Louis and spent weeks reporting on what it's like for women seeking the procedure. Sarah allowed CBS News to document her experience getting an abortion in the state, asking her real name not be used. "This has been a really emotional process for me," Sarah told CBS News correspondent Meg Oliver in June. "It's been really hard." (Oliver and Smith, 10/2)
Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Georgia Abortion Law, While Blocked, Will Figure In 2020 Races
Political strategists are readying a fight for seats in the Georgia Legislature next year where the debate over access to abortion will likely remain front and center, despite Tuesday’s decision by a federal judge to block the state’s new law. The judge’s decision to temporarily block Georgia’s new anti-abortion law from taking effect as scheduled in January sets up a legal battle that could play out while the Legislature is in session. The next filing deadline in the court case is Jan. 18, less than a week after lawmakers return to Atlanta for the 2020 legislative session. (Prabhu, 10/2)
