The leader of the State Senate says he is prepared to take action to enforce subpoenas the chamber issued to Planned Parenthood.
Senate President Pro Tem Ron Richard (photo courtesy; Missouri Senate Communications)
The state Senate issued subpoenas to Planned Parenthood seeking documents regarding incidents in which women left Planned Parenthood’s St. Louis Clinic in an ambulance, among other things. An attorney for Planned Parenthood responded that releasing such documents could violate patient privacy laws, and questioned the validity of the Senate’s committee on Planned Parenthood, whether it has the power to issue subpoenas, and whether the request for information was clear enough.
Senate President Ron Richard says Senate subpoenas needs to be honored.
“Regardless of what you think about this issue, if you don’t conform to a senate subpoena I think that’s very important and I will be coming down pretty hard on someone that would not honor a senate subpoena,” Richard told Missourinet, “on this issue or any that had a subpoena.”
“If Planned Parenthood doesn’t honor the subpoena, I’m willing to take steps to go further down that road if you don’t honor a senate subpoena,” said Richard.
Richard says he’s waiting for more information before taking action and expressed hope that the organization would comply before the his Senate Interim Committee on the Sanctity of Life meets again.
“We’ll see and hopefully everything will fall in line – I won’t have to take the extra step.”
