Tiller's abortion clinic to close permanently

[topaz]

When George Tiller was killed a couple of weeks ago, the clinic's management said that it would close for the following week to regroup, but would reopen afterward.  Or at least that's how I recall it.

That is not to be.  The Tiller family announced today that the clinic would remain permanently closed.

Who can blame them?  But the result is that there are only two facilities now in the U.S. where women at risk can seek late-term abortions.

I take a little bitter comfort in knowing that this move leaves abortion opponents are distraught and at a loss, for purely tactical reasons:

Although Operation Rescue worked for years to close down Dr. Tiller’s clinic, his death was never the outcome Mr. Newman wished for, he said. Of the man charged with killing Dr. Tiller, he tearfully said, “This idiot did more to damage the pro-life movement than you can imagine.” (NYT)

Comments

[qwrrty.livejournal.com]

I guess "late-term abortion" is not as clear-cut a term as I had thought. My understanding -- and it is possible I am incorrect -- is that there were only three clinics in the U.S. that would perform abortions after the 21st or 22nd week of pregnancy, of which Women's Health Care Services in Wichita was one. It looks to me like most of the sites on that list do not perform abortions after that date, though they do offer late 2nd-trimester abortions.

[innerdoggie.livejournal.com]

Are most late-term abortions because the fetus is going to die anyway (like in the case of anencephaly where the fetus has no brain or skull)? Or maybe the mother becomes dangerously ill?

Will these move away from clinics and into hospitals?

[keyne.livejournal.com]

The second trimester runs roughly 14-27 weeks, so "late 2nd-trimester" would necessarily mean after the 21st or 22nd week.