Score one for our side.

Springfield abortion clinic closes

JEFFERSON CITY (AP) - A Springfield abortion clinic leading a legal challenge against a new state law unexpectedly shut down yesterday, leaving abortion providers in just two other Missouri cities.

Clinic administrator Michelle Collins said the sudden decision to close the clinic after about 30 years of business "has nothing to do with the lawsuit whatsoever." But the lawsuit will be dropped as a result, she said.

Collins said the five-member board of the for-profit clinic, of which she is a member, unanimously voted Wednesday to close the clinic, effective yesterday. She described it as a business decision unrelated to finances. "It’s just so difficult to provide abortions for patients here when there’s zero support from the medical community," Collins said without elaborating more specifically about why the clinic closed.

One down, two more to go.