Health

Abortion care can return to mid-Missouri for first time in years. It may take a few weeks

KBIA | By Rebecca Smith

Published February 19, 2025 at 4:00 AM CST

Protesters gather with signs outside of Planned Parenthood, after abortion access was expected to be restored with no restrictions on Thursday, Dec. 5, 2024 at Planned Parenthood in Columbia. “We don’t give up hope. We always have hope,” said Mary Hoffmeyer, who attended the protest.

Appointments at the Planned Parenthood clinic in Columbia are not yet available due to doctors’ schedules, but will be in the “next few weeks.” Patients in mid-Missouri have long had to travel long distances to obtain abortion care.

For the first time in many years, Mid-Missourians will soon be able to access abortion care at the Planned Parenthood clinic in Columbia, even though no procedures are scheduled for this week.

This comes after a Jackson County circuit judge last Friday knocked down the state’s requirement that abortion providers have additional licensing – calling the requirement “facially discriminatory.”

Emily Wales is the President and CEO of Planned Parenthood Great Plains, which operates the Columbia clinic. She said abortions are not yet available due to doctors’ schedules but will be in the “next few weeks.”

“So, as excited as we were with the news on Friday, we generally plan out our physician schedules a week or two at a time, so we didn't have anyone who was immediately on site, even at our midtown Kansas City facility,” Wales said. “We are looking now at the logistics to get ongoing coverage at the Columbia center for physicians.”

Wales said the Columbia clinic can accommodate about 20 medical appointments a day, which can include care related to contraception, cancer screenings, well visits, sexually transmitted infection testing and treatment.

“Our team of skilled staff members is ready to expand to abortion services,” Wales said. “The visits are a little bit longer because we also provide patients with ultrasounds. We, of course, want to make sure that they understand whether they're having a medication or a procedure in the clinic, how that care is going to look, how the experience will be for them. So, it does take a little bit longer, but even when we have a full slate of patients, we're still able to see around 20 abortion patients a day.”

Wales added that she anticipates abortion care will be available one to two days a week in Columbia, though this could change depending on the need for services.

“It’s been so long since we've had regular abortion access in mid-Missouri that we don't really know how long it will take for Missourians to realize we're still there to have it integrated into care,” Wales said.

She also acknowledged that Mid-Missourians have been traveling long distances for many years to access care. While this may no longer be the case, there is still some financial support for patients who need to stay overnight in the area or help with gas money.