McNicholas also provides abortion services in Kansas and Oklahoma, which she said are similar in their restrictions to Missouri. But, she said providing services in the Show-Me State is the toughest because of laws like the 72-hour waiting period and parental notification.

“Missouri is the most restrictive,” she said.

In more than three hours of testimony, McNicholas outlined the process a woman goes through when she arrives at the facility on Forest Park Avenue, including medical testing and education that occurs on the first visit. That day starts a 72-hour countdown toward the actual procedure, based on the mandated waiting period imposed by the Republican-led Missouri Legislature.

She also walked through the cases flagged by the health department, drawing pictures to illustrate the process and displaying medical tools to explain their uses by medical personnel.

In one case, she said an abortion that normally takes five minutes met with complications because of the shape of the patient’s uterus.

In another, doctors did not know their patient was pregnant with twins when they began the procedure.

“Physicians make mistakes,” McNicholas said. “Unfortunately, complications do occur.”