By Cheryl Sullenger
Kansas City, MO – Planned Parenthood had gleefully announced that medication abortions would begin last week in Kansas City after a long-sought facility license was granted by the Missouri Department of Health. By the end of the week, Planned Parenthood and their elderly abortionist, Ronald Yeomans, may not have been quite so happy.
Last Monday, as Christians from Kansas and Missouri prayed and offered help outside shabby mid-town Planned Parenthood, eleven women received informed consent for abortion information and began their 72-hour waiting period, as required by Missouri law.
On Thursday, the day the women would return for their abortion drugs, Kathy Forck, who leads a pro-life street presence in Columbia, Missouri, went back to Kansas City and joined up with a team of Kansas City sidewalk activists led by Wendy Curtis. The activists to continues to pray for the women and their babies and offer practical assistance – before it was too late.
According to Forck, the Christians left rejoicing about the outcome.
“The results were these — only four of the eleven moms from Monday came back and one of them at the last minute chose life and spoke with a KC sidewalk advocate who affirmed her in her choice for life. The young mom had a very faithful friend with her who supported the young mom in keeping her baby!” said Forck.
That means eight women who intended to abort their babies at Planned Parenthood in Kansas City changed their minds!
Planned Parenthood must have been surprised that only three women showed up to actually go through with their abortions. That represented a significant loss of expected income for the new abortion center.
Despite evidence that there may be little demand in Missouri for abortions, Planned Parenthood hasn’t given up on their expansion plans even though the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled earlier this month that Missouri may enforce their licensing requirements while a court challenge is pending.
Now, Planned Parenthood of the Greater St. Louis Region, which hoped to expand into Joplin and Springfield, has filed with the U. S. Supreme Court to force the Department of Health to issue licenses to their two locations and another in Columbia, which is operated by Planned Parenthood Great Plains.
Planned Parenthood offices in Kansas City, Columbia, Joplin, and Springfield have no licensed physician that has qualified for hospital privileges within 30 miles of those facilities, which is required under the current Missouri law.
The Kansas City office was allowed to continue offering medication abortions only because it was licensed under the injunction that preceded the Eighth Circuit’s decision.
“We rejoice with the pro-life advocates who stood vigil at Planned Parenthood in Kansas City last week, and thank God for the blessing of saved lives,” said Troy Newman, President of Operation Rescue, which encouraged activists in the Kansas City area to cover the new abortion facility. “We pray that the state will be victorious over Planned Parenthood’s Supreme Court petition and over its lawsuit so lives can continue to be saved.”
Read related story: 8th Circuit Temporarily Allows Missouri to Block Abortion Licenses for 3 Planned Parenthood Facilities
[Note: All photos courtesy of Kathy Forck.]