Blunt's abortion law challenged locally

By Juana Summers

Published July 11, 2007

A bill that places increased government oversight and new labels on Missouri's abortion clinics is being challenged locally because of the effect it could have on the availability of abortion procedures.

"One of the things that we advocate for is safe, legal access to abortion services, and having to shut down a clinic here in the middle of Missouri is not giving that access," said Michelle Trupiano, a lobbyist and spokeswoman for Planned Parenthood of Kansas and Mid-Missouri.

Rep. Therese Sander, R-Moberly, sponsored the bill and Gov. Matt Blunt signed it into law on July 6, causing concerns that the provisions would cause the vast majority of Missouri's abortion providers, including Columbia's Planned Parenthood, to close.

Officials from Planned Parenthood said the classification as an ambulatory surgical center would require about $2 million in structural renovations to comply.

According to the bill, any clinic that performs five or more first-trimester abortions each month, or any second- or third-trimester abortions, falls under the definition of an ambulatory surgical center.

"They're about door sizes and hallway widths and how thick your carpet has to be," Trupiano said. "It has nothing to do with improving women's health and safety."

Trupiano said the organization would prefer to spend the large sum of money on preventative services, rather than channeling funds to renovation.

Additionally, the bill would limit the information provided to Missouri public schools and would ban, "a person or entity who provides abortion services from offering, sponsoring or furnishing course materials related to human sexuality and sexually transmitted diseases."

Information furnished by Planned Parenthood asserts that this bill will limit the availability of comprehensive sex education and will instead trend toward abstinence-only education.

Groups such as Missouri Right to Life believe that allowing abortion providers to take part in sexual education is misleading.

"It's a conflict of interest for abortion providers to be going into schools to provide young girls with information when their intent and purpose is to be providing abortions," said Susan Klein, Legislative Liaison for Missouri Right to Life.

But Trupiano said Planned Parenthood provides 100 percent factually and medically accurate information to schools and educators, and information about abortions is not included.

"Any information that says that we're coercing or talking to students about abortions is absolutely false," she said.

Planned Parenthood is organizing a one-hour rally, which will take place Friday at the intersection of Broadway and Providence, in opposition of three main provisions in the bill.

Trupiano said the rally is part of a series of events in protest of the new legislation this week. Rallies are being held in St. Louis, Springfield and Kansas City.

"It's just a way that activists can speak out and a way to give people in the community a voice to say, 'Hey, this is wrong, and I'm letting my voice be heard,'" Trupiano said.