A South Bend, Indiana abortion facility plans to close in anticipation of a new state abortion ban going into effect soon.
The Whole Woman’s Health Alliance has aborted hundreds of unborn babies via the abortion pill since 2019 in South Bend. Prior to its opening, it was involved in a years-long court battle with state officials who said it submitted inaccurate information on its license application.
On Monday, operator Amy Hagstrom Miller announced their plans to close, blaming the decision on “politically driven and medically unnecessary abortion restrictions,” the Indiana Capital Chronicle reports.
Right now, the Indiana abortion ban is blocked by a court order, and abortions are legal for any reason up to 20 weeks. But pro-lifers hope the Indiana Supreme Court will rule in favor of the life-saving law soon.
Hagstrom Miller did not mention an exact closing date for her abortion facility. Likely, it will coincide with the court decision.
Click Like if you are pro-life to like the LifeNews Facebook page!
Initially, the abortion facility planned to close last September when the pro-life law was supposed to go into effect, but it stayed open when the courts blocked the law. The abortion facility is technically a non-profit, but its staff said abortions are what makes it “financially viable” and the facility will have to close when the law goes into effect.
In the Monday announcement, Hagstrom Miller bragged about “serving” 1,000 abortion patients since they opened in 2019, suggesting they killed at least 1,000 unborn babies in elective abortions.
“We are devastated to mark the end of our physical presence in South Bend,” she said in a statement. “This journey started over seven years ago when we were asked to come fill the need for abortion care in the community. Over the years we have worked with community allies, local officials, and legal counsel to ensure that we could provide the care that our patients deserved.”
A leading pro-life advocate celebrated the news.
This month, the abortion facility asked to drop out of the lawsuit challenging the state abortion ban, too.
According to the Chronicle:
Whole Woman’s Health is among the health care providers signed onto the ongoing court challenge — being led by the American Civil Liberties Union of Indiana — but the nonprofit filed Monday to dismiss their claims, according to court documents. Other parties in the lawsuit are not affected, however.
The abortion facility opened not long after the late abortionist Ulrich Klopfer closed his facility amid criminal charges alleging he failed to report suspected child sex abuse to authorities. After his death, investigators found the remains of more than 2,000 aborted babies that Klopfer had hoarded on his properties.
South Bend was abortion-free between 2016 and 2019 when Whole Woman’s Health opened.
Indiana became the first state that passed a law to protect unborn babies from abortion after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade on June 24, 2022. The pro-life law bans abortions with exceptions for rape, incest, fatal fetal anomalies and situations when the mother’s life is at risk.
Indiana Right to Life estimates the law will save as many as 150 unborn babies from abortion every week. However, a judge quickly blocked the law, and state leaders are battling in court to enforce it.
Still, abortion groups say many women are confused about the legality of abortion in the state, and fewer are seeking abortions as a result. Abortion facilities also have been struggling to find staff willing to help abort unborn babies, a problem in the abortion industry for many years.
According to a March report from the Chronicle, state abortion data showed a nearly 50-percent drop in abortions from October to January, representing hundreds of unborn babies’ lives.
Polls consistently show a strong majority of Americans support legal protections for unborn babies, especially after the first trimester or once their heartbeat is detectable.
