Planned Parenthood of the Heartland announced today the closure of two more Iowa centers–the Newton clinic and the Family Practice Center in Des Moines! These centers will be closed effective July 19, 2012. These closures follow right after Planned Parenthood of the Heartland closed the doors in March on their abortion centers in Storm Lake and Knoxville, Iowa.
According to their email released today, Planned Parenthood of the Heartland will be consolidating the Newton center into their Ankeny office. The Family Practice Center will be moved into their surgical abortion center in Des Moines.
"Their release stated that "this consolidation will help serve patients" and would be "affordable and convenient" to their clients. It does not make any sense to say that they will better serve their clients by telling those in Newton that they will have to drive 35 miles, at a minimum, to enter the Ankeny abortion center," stated Jenifer Bowen, Executive Director of Iowa Right to Life.
Immediately upon hearing the news, Sue Thayer exclaimed, "Praise God! Now even more Iowa babies will be saved!" Thayer spent 17 years working in the now-closed Storm Lake Planned Parenthood of the Heartland abortion center. She served as their Clinic Manager.
Randy Horn serves on the Board of Directors for Iowa Right to Life and is the Chapter Leader for Heart of Iowa Pro-Life. Randy and his wife Sharon have led multiple 40 Days For Life prayer vigils outside of two abortion centers in Iowa–the now closed Knoxville location and the soon-to-close Newton abortion center. When he learned today of the July closure in Newton, Horn humbly responded, "When in doubt, pray harder. That’s what we did. That is what we will keep doing."
Upon the closure of these two Planned Parenthood of the Heartland centers, 18 facilities remain in Iowa. 11 continue to offer abortions and 7 are abortion referral centers. Additionally, Planned Parenthood of the Heartland has publicly stated that they wish to expand into 5 more Iowa cities–all of which have community colleges. Without the proposed expansion, Iowa already has more abortion centers than all of our surrounding states combined!
Many of these abortion clinics are offering webcam abortions. Since 2008, Iowa has been the test pilot set for webcam abortions. In these RU-486 chemical abortions, a doctor visits with the young woman only through a webcam–they are not physically present. The doctor does not physically examine the patient, nor are they present to monitor adverse reactions. RU-486 abortions take longer and are bloodier than a surgical abortion. These chemical abortions are less messy for Planned Parenthood of the Heartland and more traumatizing for women, because the women are forced to deal with the blood and the dead baby at home–alone.
Iowa Right to Life remains steadfastly committed to seeing Iowa a safe-haven state. A place where the needs of each woman in crisis are met with compassion and love and each unborn Iowan is welcomed into this world.