The Tablet Staff

A St. Louis judge issued a preliminary injunction on June 10, allowing Missouri’s last remaining abortion clinic to remain open as the state decides whether to renew the clinic’s license to perform abortions, Reuters reported.

According to Reuters, with the court ruling, the clinic will continue to remain operational until June 21, the date by which the state must decide whether it will renew Planned Parenthood St. Louis’ license to perform abortions.

If the clinic closes, Missouri would become the first state in the United States without an abortion clinic since the U.S. Supreme Court issued its Roe v. Wade decision in 1973, a ruling that made abortion legal nationwide.

The legal battle between Missouri and Planned Parenthood began in March, when officials refused to renew the clinic’s license, because of health and safety issues. The license was set to expire on May 31.

“There are a number of serious health concerns that still exist at the Planned Parenthood in St. Louis,” Republican state Senator Mike Parson told CNN. “Every step should be taken to ensure that all laws are followed for safety and well-being of women’s health care.”

During the week the clinic’s license was set to expire, a judge ruled to temporarily keep the clinic open and operating, citing “immediate and irreparable injury” if the clinic were to close.

On June 4, a St. Louis judge heard arguments from pro-life and pro-abortion groups regarding the possible closure of the clinic.

Planned Parenthood St. Louis sees about 3,000 women for abortion services a year in a state that has some of the strictest abortion laws in the country, banning abortion at eight weeks of pregnancy.