Report: Record 87 Surgical Abortion Clinic Closures in 2013

A survey of abortion clinics in the United States has concluded that a record number of 87 surgical abortion clinics closed in 2013.

The survey, conducted by pro-life organization Operation Rescue, found that the total number of surgical abortion clinics remaining in the United States is now 582, a twelve percent decrease in surgical abortion clinics in 2013 alone, and a 73 percent drop from a 1991 high of 2,176.

According to Operation Rescue, of the 87 clinics that discontinued surgical abortions, 81 are permanently closed, while six stopped performing surgical abortions but continued the sale of abortion-inducing drugs. The data does not include the eleven abortion clinics that were temporarily closed this year, but later reopened.

The number of clinics that only perform abortion via drugs remained fairly constant at 176, with six documented closures.

Texas is the state with the most closures of surgical abortion clinics – a total of eleven – following the passage of an abortion law earlier in the year. New abortion clinic safety regulations accounted for closures in Pennsylvania and Maryland as well.

“These numbers show that the pro-life movement is gaining ground and that the abortion industry is collapsing – mostly due to its own negligence and greed, which has been exposed by their unwillingness and inability to comply with even the most rudimentary safety standards,” said Troy Newman, president of Operation Rescue.

According to the survey, Planned Parenthood clinics accounted for nearly 30 percent of all active surgical abortion clinics (172 of 582) and 93 percent of all clinics that offer abortion via drugs only. Planned Parenthood’s roughly 300,000 abortions per year are responsible for about one third of all abortions performed in the United States.

The survey, an update to a prior one conducted by Operation Rescue, led to the organization’s launching in January 2012 of AbortionDocs.org, a website that lists every American surgical and medication abortion clinic, as well as documents demonstrating how the clinics may have engaged in dangerous procedures and practices.

“We have invested untold man-hours to ensure that AbortionDocs.org is constantly updated with the latest information about the status of abortion clinics, whether they are facing disciplinary action, or have been temporarily or permanently closed,” said Newman. “It represents the most accurate information on abortion clinics in existence.”

Newman added that the data demonstrates pro-life efforts to close abortion clinics have been highly effective.

“We’ve been able to categorically debunk the notion that the abortion industry is winning,” said Newman. “The numbers don’t lie. A 73% drop in surgical abortion clinics is a significant loss. We are witnessing the death throes of the abortion cartel.”

Operation Rescue predicts that when 2011-2013 data is fully accounted for, 2013 will likely see the largest drop in abortion numbers since the 1973 Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision that decriminalized abortion.

“After the 2010 mid-term elections, conservative gains resulted in a wave of pro-life legislation flooding statehouses across America,” said Newman. “Much of that legislation was inspired by information gathered by pro-life groups, including Operation Rescue, which have increasingly publicized documentation of abortion abuses. Once legislators find out what is really going on at abortion clinics in their states, they understand the urgency of passing pro-life laws that protect women and their babies from clinics that prey on their vulnerabilities.”

Nevertheless, Newman acknowledges that the pro-life movement still has far to go and that pushback from a desperate abortion industry will require continued vigilance and perseverance.

“We will continue to develop new tactics to close abortion clinics until there are none left,” said Newman. “That is our goal. We just don’t want to reduce the number of abortions. We want to end abortion altogether. But, until we can get there, our strategy of closing abortion clinics by using the tools the system has provided is an effective way to save lives right now.”