Yamelsie Rodriguez

Yamelsie Rodriguez, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood for St. Louis and Southwest Missouri, has announced she will be stepping down from her position at the end of the month. Rodriguez did not give a reason for her departure.

The leader of the group backing the plan says she identifies as a Republican and is a former spokeswoman for several GOP members of Congress.

Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra, U.S. Rep. Cori Bush and representatives from Planned Parenthood of St. Louis and other clinics that perform abortions in Illinois gathered in the same conference room where they first learned of the Dobbs decision last year.

Planned Parenthood says it will provide abortions out of an RV-based clinic in southern Illinois by the end of the year. It will reduce travel time for some patients coming from surrounding states.

Illinois will continue to be a haven for those seeking abortions as other states restrict access to the procedure after the U.S. Supreme Court's expected ruling overturning Roe v. Wade, Gov. J.B. Pritzker said during a visit today to the Planned Parenthood clinic in Fairview Heights.

Planned Parenthood leaders are warning supporters in St. Louis that access to abortion is at risk as state legislators seek tougher restrictions. The organization made its appeal Thursday during its annual luncheon.

New rules require state inspectors to report violations directly to Medicaid auditors, which could jeopardize funding.

Missouri could soon become the first state in the nation without a clinic providing abortions, but Planned Parenthood officials say the last remaining one…