In just a few days, Missouri could become the first state in the country with zero abortion clinics. But several other states are just one closure away from that fate.
Six states are now down to one abortion clinic – Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, North Dakota, South Dakota and West Virginia, according to the Guttmacher Institute, which advocates for reproductive rights.
In most other states, the number of abortion clinics keeps dropping.
- In 1996, the country had 452 abortion clinics, according to Guttmacher.
- In 2005, that number had dwindled to 381.
- And by 2014, the latest year of available data, the number was down to 272.
As states across the country add more restrictions on abortion access and facilities, clinics have shut down under the weight of heftier regulations, threats to doctors’ safety and violence.
Missouri’s lone clinic that provides abortions – Reproductive Health Services of Planned Parenthood of the St. Louis Region – is suing state officials because the state refuses to renew the clinic’s license that allows it to perform abortions.
CNN’s Jessica Ravitz contributed to this report.