Our Future IS Bright: Pro-Life Advocacy and Abortion Facility Closures are Making a Difference

In June of 2022, the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision overturned Roe v. Wade as well as Planned Parenthood v. Casey and returned the issue of abortion to the states. Since that time, the pro-life movement has faced a number of legislative defeats in states across the nation at the hands of an extremely well-funded pro-abortion movement. These defeats are especially disappointing after the tremendous victory of Dobbs.

But there is good news.

When one looks at the big picture, it is clear that the decades of pro-lif work done prior to Dobbs combined with the groundbreaking work of the Center for Client Safety is making a difference – the number of abortion facilities that are closing is growing!

Many of these closures are due to decades of diligent pro-life work. Others are for reasons a bit more complex.

Just this month, the Women’s Center in Atlanta, Georgia, closed due to decreased business due to the state’s Heartbeat Law. Sidewalk Advocates for Life had also been prayerfully vigilant outside this clinic for some time.

Even more noteworthy, though, is the closure of four abortion facilities in New York State: Goshen, Amsterdam, Cobleskill, and Staten Island. New York is, of course, one of the most pro-abortion states in the nation.

In Planned Parenthood’s own press release regarding these New York closures, they say cost-saving measures and long-term structural shifts are needed for their abortion business model to continue. Incredibly,  they cite financial hardship and hostile political and cultural environments as reasons for the closures. What? If Planned Parenthood considers the State of New York to be hostile towards its goal of selling more abortions, there is clearly something amiss. 

There is no denying that the same elected officials who serve as “champions” for Planned Parenthood and other abortion businesses are some of the same ones whose policies are causing Planned Parenthood’s financial troubles. Planned Parenthood cites inflation as the root cause of their financial hardships. According to The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, operating costs for medical providers are set to rise 8% over the next two years – simply from inflation.

Medicaid reimbursement rates are also affecting abortion businesses. More than 50% of Planned Parenthood facilities use Medicaid as their primary health insurance provider. Medicaid reimbursement rates are dependent on elected officials allocating money for the program in state budgets. Planned Parenthood of Greater New York, again, blamed their supposed “champions” in the state legislature for not increasing Medicaid reimbursement rates for abortion in their state in the FY25 budget. This led to a shortfall in Planned Parenthood’s budget and, combined with the other factors, led to the closure of the four facilities across the state.

The hand that feeds Planned Parenthood has also been the hand that’s bitten them.

When women-centered pregnancy resource centers providing legitimate counseling,  comprehensive medical care, and baby supplies for free outnumber abortion businesses three-to-one, there is absolutely no need for the abortion business model. With the number of pregnancy centers and sidewalk advocates growing, we’ve seen a slow but powerful cultural shift.

While changing hearts and minds through education and legislation has been a key component of pro-life success, there are lives to be saved now. At the Center for Client Safety, our innovative strategy to investigate, report, and hold abortion providers accountable is working. We have been major players in preventing the opening of two Planned Parenthood facilities in New York – Brighton and Henrietta – and currently have active investigations ongoing in some of the most pro-abortion states in the nation.

With the help of our friends at pregnancy resource centers and on the sidewalks, we are ensuring that abortion providers know they are not above the law.

The continued success of the pro-life movement depends on both long-term culture shifts and immediate abortion facility closures. At the Center for Client Safety, we will continue to hold abortion providers accountable and shut down abortion businesses to save lives now. We will also work with our friends across the pro-life movement to build a future that is free of abortion and that women and children are protected.

Written by: Gavin Oxley, National Lead Investigator