Pathology lab has long history of failing to file paperwork
ST. LOUIS (AP) - A St. Louis-area pathology lab that works with the St. Louis Planned Parenthood chapter failed to file required registration paperwork with the state last month.
A representative for the lab, Pathology Services Inc., told The St. Louis Post-Dispatch (http://bit.ly/1ZV0UN3 ) that officials misunderstood the registration process. It was the sixth time the mistake has been made since 1994.
Pathology Services, which has a contract with the St. Louis facility to examine fetal tissue after an abortion, has been closely watched since controversial videos were released in July alleging that Planned Parenthood illegally sold fetal tissue for profit, something Planned Parenthood has vehemently denied.
Missouri Attorney General Chris Koster, a Democrat, found no evidence of wrongdoing in the state. But lawmakers have continued investigating.
Abortion opponents say the lab's failure to follow through on its paperwork is the latest example of the company's operational problems, which have extended to its operations in Illinois and Iowa. Sam Lee, president for Campaign For Life Missouri, said the lab's failure to follow the law and its repeated failure to register with the secretary of state's office establishes a pattern.
"It calls into question whether (the lab) really sees what type of tissues they're getting from Planned Parenthood," Lee said.
Under Missouri law, the lab must send pathology reports to both Planned Parenthood and the state Department of Health and Senior Services. A March inspection report of the St. Louis facility found that lab officials weren't sending reports to the department.
The lab's owner, Dr. James Miller, said last week that the lab had been sending two copies of each report to Planned Parenthood and assumed the facility was sending the second report to the state.
Corporations are required to register with the secretary of state's office every year, though some choose to register every two years. The office sends out two re-registration notices before issuing an administrative dissolution of the business.
Administratively dissolved companies cannot carry on any business except what's necessary to wind up or liquidate its affairs.
Pathology Services was most recently dissolved on Sept. 21, though a lab representative said it is still operating. The lab also continued operating when it was dissolved for more than a year ending December 2014. It went more than a year without reinstatement after being administratively dissolved on two other occasions, between 2001 and 2002, and between 2008 and 2009.
Pathology Services also has had issues with filing paperwork on time in Illinois and Iowa. Its incorporated status was revoked in Illinois this summer because of a failure to file the necessary paperwork.
Though currently in good standing in Iowa, the lab had its certificate of authority revoked in 2012 and 2014 for the same reason.