Surgical abortion clinics continue to close at a rate of nearly two per month
WASHINGTON, Nov. 17 /
Christian Newswire/ -- Two notorious abortion mills have closed or are scheduled to close, contributing to the national trend of clinic closures first documented by Operation Rescue last year in "
Project Daniel 5:25."
In Yakima, Washington, the Cedar Women's Clinic, which was the first abortion clinic to open in that city 31 years ago, closed Monday due to a dramatic decrease in the demand for abortions. According to statistics kept by the state, the abortion rate for women ages 15 to 44 dropped from 18 per 1,000 in 2008 to 16.7 per 1,000 in 2009. One abortion clinic remains in Yakima.
In Michigan, Womancare of Downriver in Southgate owned by the troubled owner, abortionist Alberto Hodari, is currently in escrow to a physician whose practice does not include abortions. Once escrow closes, so will the abortion clinic.
One woman, Jennifer McCoy, is particularly relieved that Hodari's Southgate abortion clinic has been tentatively sold. That was where she says Hodari forced an abortion on her when she was 16-years old. "That clinic will never do another abortion again," she said.
All of Hodari's six Detroit area abortion clinics were put up for sale last year. Hodari appeared to be liquidating his assets so he could leave the country after repeated complaints, fines, and lawsuits have recently overwhelmed him.
The closures continue a national trend of decreasing numbers of abortion clinics. Operation Rescue conducted extensive research and documented that over two-thirds of America's abortion clinics have closed since 1991, when there were over 2,100 clinics nationwide.
"When we released our 'Project Daniel 5:25' listing of all remaining surgical abortion clinics in the United States last December, there were 713. Today, counting the Southgate mill, which will soon close, there are only 694," said Operation Rescue spokesperson Cheryl Sullenger. "That great news for women and their pre-born babies."
Twenty abortion clinics have closed in the past 11 months at a rate of nearly 2 per month.
Operation Rescue maintains the most accurate listing of abortion clinics available on its Project Daniel 5:25 page. The project was named after the Biblical story of Daniel, who was able to read the handwriting on the wall and predict the fall of a wicked kingdom.
As a new feature, Operation Rescue has added names of some abortionists to the clinic list with links to documentation of their legal problems and abortion abuses.
"Government funding continues to artificially prop up a failing abortion industry. Without tax-funding, more of these clinics would fold," said Sullenger. "Until we can encode legal protections for the pre-born, we must work to expose and defund the abortion industry. Closing clinics is a proven way to reduce abortions and save lives."
About Operation Rescue
Operation Rescue is one of the leading pro-life Christian activist organizations in the nation and has become a strong voice for the pro-life movement in America. Operation Rescue is now headquartered in a former abortion clinic that it bought and closed in 2006. From there, Operation Rescue launches its innovative new strategies across the nation, exposing and closing abortion clinics through peaceful, legal means. Its activities are on the cutting edge of the abortion issue, taking direct action to stop abortion and ultimately restore legal personhood to the pre-born in obedience to biblical mandates.
