Nebraska doctor Leroy Carhart, who was a close friend and associate of Dr. George Tiller, has announced that he plans to open three new abortion clinics which will provide abortion services to women past 20 weeks gestation. A recent law passed by the Nebraska legislature prevents abortions past 20 weeks in that state.
The new clinics are slated to be opening soon in Indiana, Iowa, and in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area, and will operate under the banner of the Carhart Centers forSexual and Reproductive Health.
This is great news for women who will be facing a poor prenatal diagnosis and considering termination. Right now, there are only a small handful of places, scattered around the United States, which will help a woman seeking an abortion past 24 weeks. Prenatal testing doesn't always allow a woman before that time to know with certainty that there is a major problem with the development of the fetus. This results in many women being forced to travel halfway across the country to obtain a legal and safe medical procedure, which she should have been able to access in her own community.
Thank goodness for doctors, like Leroy Carhart, who are willing to do whatever is necessary to ensure that women have easier access to a safe and legal procedure. As long as Mother Nature keeps creating babies with serious anomalies, and families can legally exercise their free will in deciding whether or not to bring these babies into the world, there will always be a need for pregnancy termination after 20 weeks. There's no reason to make it logistically impossible for these devastated families.
Edited to add: Starting Monday, December 6, 2010, Dr. Carhart will begin offering his services to women out of the Germantown Reproductive Health Services practice in Germantown, MD.
