Missouri Senate advances bill to cut financial assistance for Planned Parenthood clinics

The Missouri state Senate passed House Bill 2634 on party lines Tuesday, which will eliminate the ability of Planned Parenthood clinics in the state to receive reimbursements for treating patients on Medicaid.

Despite an 11-hour filibuster from Democratic members of the Senate, the bill passed in the Republican-dominated chamber in a 23-10 vote, even with every Democrat in the chamber voting in opposition. The bill will now go back to the House for final approval, where it can be sent to Gov. Mike Parson (R), who is expected to sign it into law.

The bill was sponsored by state Sen. Mary Elizabeth Coleman (R-Arnold), who is also running for secretary of state. In a statement, Coleman said she hopes it is “abundantly clear to the state of Missouri that people who are engaged in, are associated with, who are providing abortions in the state of Missouri, shall be ineligible to be part of the Medicaid program.”

Although Missouri was one of the first states in the country to implement a stringent total abortion ban in 2022 following the Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision, Planned Parenthood clinics continued to offer patients services like birth control, STD treatment and pregnancy testing/planning. According to Planned Parenthood, Medicaid pays 75% of all public funds spent on family planning services.