After the overturning of Roe v. Wade, the battle for the unborn rages unabated, as each side must readjust its strategies in a nation divided in half over this vital moral issue.
As much as the left tries to frame the debate in terms of “women’s health” or “reproductive rights,” it cannot overcome the perception inside the public that procured abortion is something wrong and to be avoided. Even in blue states where abortion is allowed until birth, the pro abortionists – are having image problems. They cannot remove the stain of shame that hangs over the issue.
The Problem of the Clinics
Nowhere is this more apparent than at the abortion clinics—the place where the issue presents itself in the public square.
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Few people want to be near them. After Dobbs, clinics are closing. Planned Parenthood just announced it is ceasing operations at four facilities in pro-abortion New York due to “compounding financial and political challenges.”
Even more challenging are the efforts to open new clinics. The dark shadow of the sinister practice follows the process of opening wherever it appears.
The Abortion Trade Gets Tougher
The New York Times carried an extensive article titled “For Abortion Providers, a Tough Business Gets Tougher.” With the Dobbs decision, America is now divided into states that all but ban abortion and those that welcome abortion until birth.
Reporter Jennifer Miller tells how many thought the new situation would create tremendous opportunities in blue states where operators could open new clinics to cater to those coming from restricted states. All the usual business reasons for opening are positive. There is, unfortunately, an increased demand for procured abortion in these states. Moreover, abortion center operators are willing to invest in new projects, especially in more affluent areas that promise profits.
However, the boom in clinic openings is not materializing. The New York Times article laments how opening new baby-killing facilities in blue states has proven just as hard as in red states where abortion is still legal.
Everything seems to be going wrong. Wherever applications for new facilities appear, the dark stain of shame follows. People do not want anything to do with the abortion traffic.
Finding a Location Is Becoming Impossible
One of the most challenging problems for abortion clinic operators is finding a location—in blue states. The operators must present their purpose in the best possible light by posing as women’s health centers and similar deceits. However, many landlords soon find out the real purpose behind the clinics and refuse to lease.
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A case in point is the DuPont Clinic in Washington, D.C. The director sought to expand operations by opening an abortion clinic in California. The operators involved spent nearly a year looking to lease a location in the Los Angeles area. Every time landlords found out the intended purpose of the new office, they backed out of any negotiations.
The DuPont Clinic finally found a place in a building in ultra-liberal Beverly Hills. The city council is so pro-abortion that it made a point to reaffirm its legality in anticipation of the Dobbs decision.
Once the news spread about the coming clinic, everything went wrong. Protesters soon appeared at the seven-story building that already housed legitimate healthcare businesses. Those who claim protests don’t work soon discovered how effective they are.
After spending $2 million on renovation, the DuPont Clinic doctors received a notice from the landlord saying that he could no longer allow them to stay since they had broken the contract with an activity that “unreasonably obstructs or interferes with other tenants.”
The Beverly Hills story repeats itself in realty markets everywhere, in blue states and red. The shame of what takes place in the clinics makes the abortionists unwelcome. Few want to rent to the abortion operators, regardless of the financial benefits it might accrue.
Running at a Loss
A second problem of the post-Dobbs abortionists is financial. For all their idealistic talk about concern for women’s health, the clinics are in business for money and ruthlessly pursue profits. Inflation has run up costs on all aspects of the infamous trade, from payroll to equipment. Abortions start at $600 and up, depending on the procedure and stage of pregnancy.
Many of the new abortion seekers do not have the means to pay. Reimbursement procedures from insurance plans are complicated and unreliable. Many plans, including state Medicaid programs, reimburse at a low rate, as low as twenty or thirty percent. Private funds that fundraise to pay for abortion expenses often only cover the bare minimum.
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Thus, some abortion clinics, like the four closed New York ones, end up charging more and running at a loss until it becomes totally unprofitable. Again, the stain of shame follows the procedure. No change in reimbursement rates appears to be forthcoming because the public is uncomfortable with someone making a profit off the nefarious practice of abortion.
Local Resistance Makes Death Difficult
Another area of conflict for abortionists is the “fierce local resistance” they encounter wherever they go—again, even in the bluest of states.
In fact, the Dobbs decision only made the problem worse in those states. With abortion bans in place in many places, pro-life activists are now free to concentrate more in blue states than in the past.
No one wants an abortion clinic and its pro-life protesters in their back or front yard. It is bad for business and the moral climate of the local area. Thus, activists create obstacles to new clinics every step of the way. Local politicians are accused of finding ways to slow down the approval processes for new clinics.
Abortion operators claim the overturning of Roe “has emboldened anti-abortion politicians in a way we haven’t seen before, with more aggressive tactics, even in blue states like California.”
Indeed, they note that the prolifers are “more dug in and more committed” than ever. The stain of shame has further complicated hiring staff who are reluctant to work for the new clinics. The controversy has also made it difficult to insure these properties.
Abortion Is a Moral Battle
Thus, the battle over procured abortion continues. The strength of the pro-life side is in the fact that it has turned this issue into a moral fight that involves the right and wrong of human actions. Thus, it causes a serious problem of conscience for many who procure or support abortion. Moral considerations touch the deepest part of the soul and motivate people toward action.
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The pro-abortion side has tried to avoid this moral framing of the debate at all costs. It has nothing to compete with this moral appeal. It can do nothing to resolve the problems of conscience that abortion causes.
The difficulties stemming from the stain of shame associated with abortion show the power of this moral framing and the failure of the left to overcome this attack even in states it considers its own.
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