Missouri abortion facility can stay open for now

A Missouri commissioner on Friday ruled that the state’s last abortion provider can continue operating until at least August, saying that the St. Louis Planned Parenthood likely will win out in the dispute over its license. Administrative Hearing Commissioner Sreenivasa Rao Dandamudi granted a stay until the commission’s scheduled hearing on Aug. 1 in St. Louis over the state’s right to decline to renew the abortion provider’s license.

The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services rejected Planned Parenthood’s license renewal application last week, but a judge ruled that the facility could continue operating until Friday, giving it time to take the case to the Administrative Hearing Commission. The state said inspections of the facility in March raised concerns about patient safety.