Judge rules against Planned Parenthood in Missouri lawsuit

COLUMBIA, Mo. — A ruling by a federal judge means Planned Parenthood’s Columbia clinic will not be able to offer abortion pills in the near future.

The Columbia Daily Tribune reported U.S. District Judge Beth Phillips on Friday ruled against Planned Parenthood.

The organization was trying to stop enforcement of a new state regulation. The rule requires doctors who provide abortion pills to contract with an obstetrician-gynecologist with admitting privileges at a hospital. The OB-GYN must be available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, to treat any complications.

While the judge questioned the need for the rule, she wrote in her order Planned Parenthood didn’t provide evidence it couldn’t comply.

The ruling means the state can enforce the regulation while Planned Parenthood’s lawsuit against it plays out.

Information from: Columbia Daily Tribune, http://www.columbiatribune.com