As of 8 a.m. Monday morning, abortions were once again available in Columbia.
The procedure has been inaccessible to those living in mid-Missouri since the last abortion was performed at the Columbia Planned Parenthood clinic in 2018.
But following the passage of Amendment 3 in November, and many of Missouri’s targeted regulations, or TRAP laws, being knocked down by a Jackson County circuit judge in February — the procedure can now be restarted without fear of legal repercussions.
Emily Wales, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood Great Plains, which operates the clinic, said she’s excited and relieved to have abortion care restored to the area.
“We have some protester activity outside, which isn't surprising, but patients showed up, scheduled appointments, and so we're trying to make it feel as normal as possible for the folks inside the health center who are just here to get care,” Wales said.
“I am confident that we are providing excellent medical care to people, and we've been doing that for years."Dr. Iman Alsaden, Chief Medical Officer of Planned Parenthood Great Plains
She said there were originally five procedural abortions scheduled for Monday, but one patient decided to reschedule at a different clinics — slightly closer to home, less disruptive to their life.
Wales said that is their goal when it comes to all patient care, whether it’s abortion services, STI testing and treatment or birth control.
“I mean, there are some patients who can figure out overnight care or a full day of care, but for a lot of people, it is, ‘can you get coverage for three or four hours,’ which is all you should need to come in and get an abortion and go home,” Wales said.
She said they are still working on making medication abortions available at the clinic, but procedural abortions have resumed. The clinic uses a method called vacuum dilation and curettage, or D&C, to remove uterine tissue from a patient. This can be done either manually or electronically.
Dr. Iman Alsaden, chief medical officer of Planned Parenthood Great Plains, was on-site Monday to perform the clinic's first abortions since restoring care. Alsaden said they were excited and proud to restore abortion access to mid-Missouri.
“I feel proud to say that I live in Missouri, and we have voted to overturn or stop a total abortion ban, which I think is a really incredible thing and a first for the country,” Dr. Alsaden said. “And so, it's been really cool to call myself a Missourian these past few months.”
Dr. Alsaden said they and other staff from the clinic in Overland Park, Kansas, will be coming down over the next few weeks to assist with patient care and staff training.
Dr. Alsaden added that they plan to use an “exchange student model,” and have the Columbia clinic staff work a few days at the Overland Park clinic to gain more experience.
“The goal eventually is to have things staffed locally as with any place,” Dr. Alsaden said. “I always think that people deliver the best care when they are part of that community.”
About a dozen protesters gathered outside the building throughout the day. They stood next to signs calling for an end to abortion and shouted “I’ll pray for you” as people passed by.
One major concern from the protesters was the perceived lack of oversight now that abortion clinics will not have to get additional licensure from the state. They also had concerns over safety and sanitation linked back to a dirty piece of tubing in a 2018 inspection report.
“I feel proud to say that I live in Missouri, and we have voted to overturn or stop a total abortion ban, which I think is a really incredible thing and a first for the country."Dr. Iman Alsaden, Chief Medical Officer of Planned Parenthood Great Plains
“I am the medical leader of this organization,” Dr. Alsaden said. “I am confident that we are providing excellent medical care to people, and we've been doing that for years in other spaces, Oklahoma and Arkansas and Kansas, and we will continue to do that here.
Dr. Alsaden said the striking down of laws that required the clinic to obtain additional licensing makes Planned Parenthood clinics just like other medical offices outside of a hospital. It is simply a building where care is provided by medical staff who are licensed by the State Board of Healing Arts.
“This is a normal part of health care. So, if you have a bad experience with a health care provider, you can file a complaint with whatever board licenses that health provider in the state that you are in, and then the board does a formal investigation into that complaint,” Dr. Alsaden said. “That's always been true of abortion providers, diabetes doctors, orthopedic surgeons. We are sort of, finally in Missouri, being treated as if we are a medical facility that has doctors and nurses in it, which is all that we are.”
Dr. Alsaden and Wales both said they are excited to make abortion even more accessible to people living throughout mid-Missouri. They are not yet sure what the regular schedule for appointments in Columbia will be, but they are aiming for several days a week.
They also recognized the fight over abortion access in Missouri is far from over, as the Missouri General Assembly proposes new restrictions regularly, but they said they’re prepared and ready.
“Our goal is for people in the waiting room to be here for any type of service and to have no idea what the person next to you is here for,” Wales said. “And that takes some time because of the legislative drama, protester drama, but we will get there, and then I think Missourians will really have the access they deserve.”
