Ohio Planned Parenthood Abortion Referral Clinic Closes

State   |   Sarah Zagorski   |   Nov 21, 2014   |   8:12PM   |   Withamsville, OH

On October 31, a Planned Parenthood abortion facility shut down in southwest Ohio.

The director of communications for Planned Parenthood, Danielle Craig, said the location at 834 Ohio Pike in Withamsville is now closed. However, the CEO of Planned Parenthood Southwest Ohio, Jerry Lawson, claims the closure has nothing to do with budget cuts made by the state.

closedsign6Lawson said, “Providers across the state are all deeply affected by changes to family planning resources. With this strain on the healthcare safety net for low-income women, Planned Parenthood’s services are more vital than ever. The closure of our Clermont Health Center is part of a three-year strategic plan in Planned Parenthood Southwest Ohio’s health centers and was not the result of cuts made by the state.”

Apparently the closure “is intended to position Planned Parenthood to continue to meet growing and diverse needs of women, men and families throughout Southwest Ohio.” He added, “Planned Parenthood has been in this area for more than 85 years, and we’re not going anywhere. We care deeply about the health of our patients in the Clermont County area and invite them to continue receiving health care services at one of our nearby locations.”

In 2013 pro-life Governor, John Kasich approved five Ohio Right to Life-endorsed measures. These included, reprioritization of family planning funds away from Planned Parenthood; heartbeat informed consent requirement; gave new funding for pregnancy centers; banned public hospitals from entering into transfer agreements with abortion clinics; and strengthening of abortion clinic regulation.

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All of these measures hurt the abortion industry and hopefully now that another abortion facility has closed, Ohio women will be going to local pregnancy centers that offer alternatives to abortion rather than visiting Planned Parenthood. The closest pregnancy help center to the old abortion center is A Caring Place, which is located at 4446 Mt. Carmel Tobasco Road in Clermont County.

Shawna Dunn, executive director of A Caring Place said that they provide many services for expecting parents in the community. She said, “If they need a pregnancy test we can provide that to them at no cost,” Dunn said. “We have a boatload of services. If they are pregnant and choosing to be a parent we want them to be the best parents.”

Ohio’s other nearby Planned Parenthood locations are the Elizabeth Campbell Health Center and the Springdale Health Center. However, as LifeNews previously reported, earlier this month the Elizabeth Campbell Surgical Center location was cited by the Ohio Department of Health for failure to obtain a transfer agreement. These transfer agreements are intended to help protect women who are victimized by botched abortions. While the citation from the Ohio health department only serves as a warning, if they’re not careful they could be shut down as well.