Skip to main content
Live Action LogoLive Action
abortion

Four abortion facilities operated by lawbreaking abortionist shut down

Icon of a megaphoneNewsbreak·By Cassy Cooke

Four abortion facilities operated by lawbreaking abortionist shut down

James Scott Pendergraft is a notorious late-term abortionist who has traveled around the country, leaving dead children in his wake. Pendergraft is willing to commit abortions after 24 weeks of pregnancy, when the preborn baby is viable and could survive outside of the womb. He has had babies born alive after abortion, who were then left to die. He’s also botched abortions, leaving at least one woman unable to have children for the rest of her life.

Thumbnail for 3rd Trimester Induction Abortion: Injection and Stillbirth

Pendergraft is not licensed to practice medicine in Maryland, and was arrested in 2015 in South Carolina in a drug bust. Throughout all of this, Pendergraft continued to operate four abortion facilities in Florida, despite his 2017 drug convictions. But the state of Florida is finally taking action.

The licenses of four abortion facilities have been revoked as a result of Pendergraft’s drug convictions. After pleading guilty, Pendergraft was disqualified from owning or operating any abortion facility. One facility, the Ocala Women’s Center, closed voluntarily in 2015. The EPOC Clinic closed voluntarily for renovations several months ago, but now will not be able to reopen.

abortion, abortionist
Abortionist James Scott Pendergraft (Photo by American Life League via Flickr)

The Orlando Women’s Center is still open under dubious circumstances. Renamed the Center of Orlando for Women, it is now owned by Denise Williams, Pendergraft’s ex-wife and the mother of his children. The medical director there, Randall Whitney, also has a medical license under indefinite suspension, and he also has a history of patient abuse.

Article continues below

Dear Reader,

In 2026, Live Action is heading straight where the battle is fiercest: college campuses.

We have a bold initiative to establish 100 Live Action campus chapters within the next year, and your partnership will make it a success!

Your support today will help train and equip young leaders, bring Live Action’s educational content into academic environments, host on-campus events and debates, and empower students to challenge the pro-abortion status quo with truth and compassion.

Invest in pro-life grassroots outreach and cultural formation with your DOUBLED year-end gift!

READ: Why I admire pro-life sidewalk counselors

The Fort Lauderdale Women’s Center had its license revoked in March, but a complaint has been filed alleging that the facility has continued to perform abortions illegally. A fifth facility, Women’s Center of Hyde Park, is being allowed to remain open, presumably because Pendergraft was able to transfer ownership to his ex-wife, Denise Williams, in 2010. The facilities which have remained open due to a change in ownership still retain the same staff and are still run by people close to Pendergraft, and continue to have problems following the law.

The Center of Orlando for Women is operating without a licensed medical director, and the Fort Lauderdale Women’s Center is allegedly operating illegally without a license. Both must be shut down, and Pendergraft’s inner circle prevented from preying on women and their babies — forever.

Live Action News is pro-life news and commentary from a pro-life perspective.

Contact editor@liveaction.org for questions, corrections, or if you are seeking permission to reprint any Live Action News content.

Guest Articles: To submit a guest article to Live Action News, email editor@liveaction.org with an attached Word document of 800-1000 words. Please also attach any photos relevant to your submission if applicable. If your submission is accepted for publication, you will be notified within three weeks. Guest articles are not compensated (see our Open License Agreement). Thank you for your interest in Live Action News!

Read Next

Read NextCrosby County Courthouse
Guest Column

14th Texas county outlaws abortion and use of roads for ‘abortion trafficking’

Mark Lee Dickson

·

Spotlight Articles