Only Miss. Abortion Clinic Receives Hearing Date on License Revocation

March 1, 2013 — Mississippi's only abortion clinic has received notice of an April 18 license revocation hearing before the state Department of Health, the Center for Reproductive Rights announced on Wednesday, the AP/Huffington Post reports (Wagster Pettus, AP/Huffington Post, 2/27). According to the AP/Mississippi Business Journal, the clinic is allowed to stay open while it awaits the hearing (AP/Mississippi Business Journal, 2/28).

In January, the state health department notified the Jackson Women's Health Organization that it intended to revoke its operating license because it had not complied with a 2012 state law (HB 1390) that requires physicians who provide abortions to have admitting privileges at a nearby hospital, among other regulations.

Clinic owner Diane Derzis has said the clinic missed a Jan. 11 deadline to comply with the law because area hospitals have refused to grant the admitting privileges (Women's Health Policy Report, 1/28).

The hearing, which is open to the public, will be conducted by an administrative officer at the health department headquarters in Jackson, according to department spokesperson Liz Sharlot. She added that a decision could take between two to four weeks, depending on how much information is presented (AP/Mississippi Business Journal, 2/28).