A new clinic in Chicago is offering abortions up to 34 weeks of gestation.
“Hope Clinic is now open in Chicago, IL, expanding our care through all trimesters! (And OMG we couldn’t be more excited),” the clinic wrote on Instagram. “Everyone deserves access to abortion care, whenever they need it. Because deciding and acting on what’s best for you shouldn’t be on anyone else’s timeline.”
The clinic noted that some women may seek abortions because they “just don’t want to be pregnant.”
Dr. Erin King, the clinic’s chief medical officer, told The Chicago Tribune, “I want people to know that we are absolutely following the law, but that we make a really careful determination. And we want to provide access to as many people as we can within the law.”
Under Illinois law, abortions may be had up to the point of viability or later if a physician terminates a pregnancy for the woman’s physical or mental health, according to the Chicago Department of Public Health.
“Right now, if you’re looking at all-trimester providers, there’s very few across the country and patients have to (travel) very long distances to get there,” King added, as per the outlet.
The clinic expects to see eight to ten patients a week, focusing on second and third-trimester abortions.
Pro-life activists condemned the clinic.
Eric Scheidler of the Pro-Life Action League said, “We used to hear talk about abortion being safe, legal and rare. Being an anguished decision. The way our state has been going, it’s going to become the abortion capital of the United States. That’s what’s happening.”
Conversely, a late-term abortion clinic in Colorado shut down after operating for 50 years.
