It appears the state will have to transport a prisoner to St. Louis to have an abortion. The U.S. Supreme Court has lifted the stay granted by Justice Clarence Thomas late Friday evening. Thomas stopped the proceedings so the case could be reviewed by the entire Court. A federal judge in Missouri had ruled that the state must take a prisoner at the Vandalia women’s prison to St. Louis for an abortion, despite a policy by the Corrections Department that it cannot help a woman obtain an abortion, because that would violate state law prohibiting tax dollars from being used in an abortion proceeding. Furthermore, it argues transporting a prisoner poses a security risk. The judge has ruled that the constitutional right to have an abortion outweighs state policy.
