Commission, not court, deciding fate of abortion in Missouri

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Associated Press


Jim Salter, Associated Press Updated 3:02 pm CDT, Thursday, June 27, 2019

ST. LOUIS (AP) — The battle to keep open Missouri's only abortion clinic has moved from the courts to a state administrative process, adding to the confusion about the future of the Planned Parenthood-operated clinic in St. Louis.

No state has been without a functioning abortion clinic since 1974, the year after the landmark U.S. Supreme Court's Roe v. Wade ruling that legalized the procedure nationwide.

Here is a look at the uncertain situation involving abortions in Missouri.



Read more: https://www.chron.com/news/crime/article/Commission-not-court-deciding-fate-of-abortion-14056576.php

[elleng]

1. 'The state initially let the clinic's abortion license lapse at the end of May,

then announced more definitively last week that it would not renew the license. A judge's rulings have kept the clinic open, but only until 5 p.m. Friday. Judge Michael Stelzer's ruling from last week also stated that the license issue should be resolved by the state Administrative Hearing Commission, not the courts.

___

Q: What happens now that the issue is before the Administrative Hearing Commission?

A: The commission, or AHC, is the entity that addresses licensing disputes between state agencies and businesses. Each case is assigned to one of the AHC's four commissioners. The abortion case was assigned to Sreenivasa Rao Dandamudi, an appointee of former Gov. Jay Nixon, a Democrat.

A hearing date was set for Aug. 1. The hearing could last anywhere from hours to several days, depending on how much evidence both sides choose to present.

The problem for Planned Parenthood is that the abortion license expires Friday, and Dandamudi's ruling would be in August at the earliest.

The commission has the option of granting a stay, which would keep the clinic open pending a ruling. Planned Parenthood has requested a stay, but it's unclear when Dandamudi will decide whether to grant it.'

[ananda]

2. I don't understand how this can bypass the court.

WTF

[elleng]

3. Administrative agencies are established by states and the federal government

to undertake duties courts can't or don't want to handle.

Often their decisions can be appealed to courts.

[certainot]

4. the university of missouri supports and attracts advertising for 6 limbaugh stations

and they have no excuse to keep supporting republican fascist misogynists like that

all those stations have attacked planned parenthood and screamed about infanticide and baby parts for years. that is what enables republicans and gets them elected.

the university of missouri is a good place to protest. if they object for business or 'free speech' reasons they need to be asked what they would do if the KKK bought those stations - because that's really what happened to most of them 30 years ago when they were bought for limbaugh and all the wannabes who always follow his lead or lose their jobs. even if they don't start looking for alternatives advertisers will head for the hills rather than be singled out in any community discussion.

local republican govt will freak out - those stations play a huge part in passing their crap and getting them elected.

that will get more media attention to protests and chase off more advertisers and put more pressure on the uni.

[Eugene]

5. Missouri's only abortion clinic to stay open until at least August 1

Source: Reuters

U.S. LEGAL NEWS JUNE 28, 2019 / 6:19 AM / UPDATED 6 HOURS AGO

Missouri's only abortion clinic to stay open until at least August 1

(Reuters) - Missouri’s only abortion clinic will remain open for now after a state arbiter on Friday ordered a stay in response to Planned Parenthood’s challenge of the state health department’s refusal to renew the clinic’s license.

Planned Parenthood, the women’s healthcare and abortion provider that operates the clinic, filed a petition with Missouri’s Administrative Hearing Commission on Tuesday after the group challenged the health department’s denial in state court and a judge referred the matter to the commission.

The clinic would have had to stop providing abortion services on Friday if the commission did not grant the stay, which allows it to stay open until its initial Aug. 1 hearing date.

In its ruling, the commission noted that the issue of abortion entails great public interests for opponents and proponents, but that the only question it was considering was a motion to stay the expiration of a statutory license.

-snip-

Read more: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-abortion/missouris-only-abortion-clinic-to-stay-open-until-at-least-august-1-idUSKCN1TT1CZ