Abortion

Ohio Clinic to Stop Surgical Abortion as State’s Options Dwindle

Though a spokesperson for Complete Healthcare for Women declined to comment, the local paper, the Columbus Dispatch, as well as NARAL Pro-Choice Ohio and an anti-abortion group have reported that the clinic has stopped providing surgical abortions.

Though a spokesperson for Complete Healthcare for Women declined to comment, the local paper, the Columbus Dispatch, as well as NARAL Pro-Choice Ohio and an anti-abortion group have reported that the clinic has stopped providing surgical abortions. Shutterstock

Effective Friday, a medical clinic in Columbus, Ohio, will no longer offer surgical abortions, bringing the number of providers in the state to fewer than ten.

Though a spokesperson for Complete Healthcare for Women declined to comment, the Columbus Dispatch, as well as NARAL Pro-Choice Ohio and an anti-abortion group have reported that the clinic has stopped providing surgical abortions.

The clinic, which opened in 1974, will remain open and continue to provide other health services.

Governor Kasich, during his time in office, has lead a targeted dismantling of abortion providers in Ohio, not only passing anti-abortion laws but also appointing political allies and abortion opponents to positions of regulatory power designed for medical professionals. A Cincinnati clinic announced last week that it would stop providing abortions due to a state law requiring ambulatory surgical facilities have written transfer agreements with local public hospitals.

Complete Healthcare for Women voluntarily decided to halt abortion services, according to the Columbus Dispatch. It’s unclear whether there is a legal impetus for halting services similar to other clinics in the state.

Kellie Copeland, the executive director of NARAL Pro-Choice Ohio, said in a statement that the clinic may have closed in part due to harassment from abortion opponents.

“These doctors have been harassed at their practice, leaflets calling them ‘killers’ have been distributed in their neighborhood and protesters have picketed a hospital where they have admitting privileges,” Copeland said. “I would not be surprised if this campaign of harassment played a role in their decision to stop providing abortion care to their patients.”