Forty-four years have passed since Roe v. Wade legalized abortion in all 50 states, and abortion facility closures are on the rise.
Today there are 516 surgical facilities left in the country, a decrease from 2,176 facilities in 1991. With medication abortion facilities, there are 730 facilities. As this map shows, about one-third are located in New York and California, which are ranked as abortion-friendly states by both pro-life and pro-abortion sources. The map also shows that six states have only one abortion facility: Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, North Dakota, South Dakota, and West Virginia.
The facilities include:
- Kentucky: EMW Women’s Surgical Center
- Mississippi: Jackson Women’s Health Organization
- Missouri: Planned Parenthood’s Reproductive Health Services of PPSLR
- North Dakota: Red River Women’s Clinic
- South Dakota: Planned Parenthood’s Sioux Fall Clinic
- West Virginia: Women’s Health Center
Kentucky and West Virginia both saw closures this month: the EMW Women’s Center and the Kanawha Surgicenter, respectively. The EMW Women’s Center recently lost its lease, and last year had been found to be committing unlicensed abortions. The Kanawha Surgicenter closed because the abortionist did not wish to continue to travel there from California.
As expected, some in the media have lamented the closures of abortion facilities. Cosmopolitan highlighted certain facilities by interviewing their owners, sympathizing with their situations, getting personal, and affirming with them that they won’t let their facilities close. Romper ridiculed five of the states for their pro-life legislation.
While the closure of abortion facilities, especially at such a rapid rate, is cause for pro-lifers to celebrate, the businesses which remain open are no better for women. In the opinions of abortion activists (and unfortunately even some judges), a bad abortion facility is better than no abortion facility.
Kentucky
Kentucky, where abortion facilities and providers are known for their “shoddy” level of care, is home to EMW Women’s Surgical Center, a facility which has had expired medication and was described as “filthy.”
Mississippi
The Jackson Women’s Health Organization in Mississippi has been saluted by abortion activists, who seem to like its pink color, but with a number of health violations, the facility is not exactly known for patient safety.
Missouri
The Planned Parenthood in St. Louis, Missouri, has been covered extensively by Live Action News. As was reported earlier this month, 2016 was a bad year in terms of violations and the amount of patients sent to the hospital by the abortion facility, termed “high volume” by Operation Rescue. The facility sent its 62nd patient to the hospital (in under seven years) in November. The facility’s president was held in contempt by state senators for refusing to turn over documents in an inquiry, and the Missouri Senate issued a troubling report about the facility.
North Dakota/South Dakota
At Abortion Docs, Lori L. Thorndike is listed as working at the Planned Parenthood Sioux Falls Clinic and the Red River Women’s Clinic, and the site notes that she “[p]erformed abortions in North Dakota for several months without a valid medical license.” Nicola Louise Moore, also of the Sioux Falls Clinic, is highlighted by Abortion Docs for how she is known as the “fly-in abortionista” and was believed to have been present during a botched abortion at the facility in 2011.
West Virginia
Abortionist Rodney Lee Stephens of Women’s Health Center in West Virginia was sued for performing a forced abortion with anesthesia on Itai Gravely, and then leaving the baby’s head inside of her. Operation Rescue also highlighted that patients were admitted weekly to the hospital in West Virginia from botched abortions.
It continues to remain imperative to hold these abortion facilities accountable for women’s health and safety, and if they cannot meet quality health standards, to shut them down.
