St. Louis abortion clinic's lab reaccredited after review

In this May 17, 2019 file photo, Teresa Pettis, right, greets a passerby outside the Planned Parenthood clinic in St. Louis. Pettis was one of a small number of abortion opponents protesting outside the clinic on the day the Missouri Legislature passed a sweeping measure banning abortions at eight weeks of pregnancy. Planned Parenthood says Missouri's only abortion clinic could be closed by the end of the week because the state is threatening to not renew its license, which expires Friday, May 31.
In this May 17, 2019 file photo, Teresa Pettis, right, greets a passerby outside the Planned Parenthood clinic in St. Louis. Pettis was one of a small number of abortion opponents protesting outside the clinic on the day the Missouri Legislature passed a sweeping measure banning abortions at eight weeks of pregnancy. Planned Parenthood says Missouri's only abortion clinic could be closed by the end of the week because the state is threatening to not renew its license, which expires Friday, May 31.

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) -- Missouri health officials say they're still seeking answers from the state's only abortion clinic about why patients were unaware that they remained pregnant after what the officials described as "failed surgical abortions."

The state Health Department said Friday that officials investigated why the St. Louis Planned Parenthood clinic and its contracted laboratory confirmed the presence of fetal tissue in biological material extracted during surgical abortions on some women who nevertheless remained pregnant.

Agency Director Dr. Randall Williams says the lab provisionally lost its license but was reaccredited Thursday "based on their willingness to fully comply with the investigation."

The lab didn't immediately reply to a Friday request for comment.

The state is still investigating the clinic but has been unable to interview some physicians. Planned Parenthood has said those physicians are not staffers, so the organization can't force them to cooperate.