Inside One Abortion Clinic, Signs of Nationwide Struggles

FORT MYERS, Fla. — At a Planned Parenthood health center on Florida’s Gulf Coast, new restrictions on who can get an abortion are shaking up routines and creating challenges for the clinic’s patients, doctors and nurses.

Since last September, when Texas banned all abortions, the center in Fort Myers has seen a steady inflow of patients from Texas and other states that have tightened access over the past year.

It is also adapting to a waiting period which was in place in Florida after years of litigation. Patients seeking an abortion must have an ultrasound, then wait at most 24 hours before returning for actual procedure. The new law, which bans most abortions after 15 week of pregnancy instead of the current 24 weeks, will take effect July 1. Planned Parenthood as well as other state abortion providers have sued to block it.

In addition to these changes, the Supreme Court is poised issue a ruling which could overturn Roe.v. Wade, 1973’s decision that legalized abortion in the United States. Florida is not one the 13 states with so called trigger laws. If Roe is overturned, almost all abortions will be banned in Florida. The center could get more visitors from other states, as several nearby states have similar laws. The Florida Legislature could also enact additional restrictions.

Florida is home to many patients who have medical abortions. These involve taking two drugs at once for 24 to 48 hours. They are allowed for the first 10 weeks. But the center provides surgical abortions up until almost 22 weeks of pregnancy, too — at least until the new law takes effect. It also offers breast and pelvic exams, various types of contraception, testing for and treatment of sexually transmitted diseases, as well as other types of reproductive health care.

Protesters are almost always present at the center. Planned Parenthood moved into a larger building in 2020. However, protesters blocked the entrance to the center’s new facility in January. At least nine people were arrested. Staff members that day feared the building would be attacked, but they hit a panic button and locked the doors. Police arrived quickly, said Stephanie Fraim.

A group of Catholic protesters, including a 72-year old former nurse, gathered outside the center in May to pray that no one would choose the procedure. “Abortion is not health care,” said the retired nurse, who asked to be identified only by her first name, Gwen. “Murder on either end of your life is not health care.”

The next day, a 27 year-old mother of two waited for her surgery to begin. She stated that she wanted to continue with her pregnancies. But as she and her fiancé agonized over how they could afford life with a third child, she had decided against it. Her fiancé had considered taking a second job, but she wanted him to have time to spend with their daughters.

Once the procedure got underway, Dr. Stacy De-Lin, then the center’s associate medical director, worked quickly as the patient cried softly on the exam table, her fiancé squeezing her hand. After the procedure was complete, the couple began to embrace. She was 11 weeks old.

“It was heavy on me,” the patient said later, reflecting on the experience. “It was not something I wanted to do. But it was something we needed to do as a couple, that would benefit our family and our children.”

Dr. De-Lin relocated to New York City last year. She had previously worked as the associate medical director of Planned Parenthood of Greater New York and would once again practice in the state, where abortion will remain legal for up to 24 weeks of pregnancy, or later if the fetus is not viable or the patient’s life or health is at risk, regardless of how the Supreme Court rules. She explained that she was unable to perform abortions beyond 15 weeks of gestation if the new law became effective.

“The state you live in shouldn’t dictate the health care you’re able to access,” she said, “so it just feels enormously overwhelming and heartbreaking.”

Gabriela BhaskarFort Myers, Florida. Abby GoodnoughWashington