Secret Planned Parenthood mega clinic set to open

FPI / October 3, 2019

Planned Parenthood in mid-October will open a massive abortion center in Illinois that was built in secret using a shell company, a report said.

The new abortion mega center was built in Fairview Heights, just 15 miles from the Missouri border, CBS News reported on Oct. 2.

Missouri is one of several states that recently passed laws limiting abortions to eight weeks or fewer. Illinois allows abortions until the point of the baby’s viability.

The abortion center is 13 miles from Missouri’s only legal abortion clinic, which may soon be shut down, according to the report.

Mary Kate Knorr, Illinois Right to Life Executive Director, said the facility is a “money-making venture” for Planned Parenthood in what she calls the “most abortion-friendly state in the country.”

“Make no mistake – this new mega-facility is not a response to an increased demand, nor is it a gesture of care for women. This facility was created to fill the gaping hole they’re seeing in their bottom line,” Knorr said. “The construction of this new facility was a strategic business move – certainly not a defense of women.”

The $7 million abortion mega center is 18,000 square feet and is bigger than many grocery stores. Construction began in secret in August 2018, according to CBS.

Colleen McNicholas, the chief medical officer of Planned Parenthood of the St. Louis Region and Southwest Missouri, said the facility was built in secret to avoid protesters and delays.

A spokesperson for Planned Parenthood said the clinic will have the ability to see 11,000 patients a year.

In May, Missouri officials refused to renew the state’s only abortion clinic, in St. Louis, citing its failure to meet state health department standards. But a federal judge has allowed it to stay open pending the decision of a state arbiter.

“While we continue the fight to maintain access in Missouri, we are excited to expand our abortion services in Illinois,” McNicholas said.

“The new health center is a testament to the needs of the greater bi-state region and our commitment to provide, protect and expand access to healthcare, no matter what,” McNichols said.

Free Press International