Orlando abortion clinic fears closure after 6-week ban, seeks donations
One of Orlando’s two licensed abortion clinics is at risk of closure because of Florida’s six-week abortion ban, clinic leaders said on a GoFundMe page posted this week.
The Center of Orlando for Women, in operation for more than 25 years, has seen a “drastic” decrease in patients since May, when the state’s ban on most abortions after six weeks took effect, according to the appeal by clinic owner Denise Williams and several other staff members.
The reduction in income means the clinic could close, they said. The clinic hopes its page on GoFundMe, a website to create and donate to fundraisers, can help raise $500,000 to cover staff salaries, operational costs, legal and administrative expenses and patient support services.
“This essential facility is at risk of forced closure due to the recent 6-week abortion ban approved by the Florida Supreme Court…” the clinic’s statement reads. “It has been extremely difficult keeping the clinic operating with the drastic decrease in patients who are legally able to receive safe terminations in Florida.”
Williams verified the fundraising drive but was not available for comment Friday.
Until the new ban, abortions in Florida were allowed up to 15 weeks, and prior to 2022, up to 24 weeks.
The clinic’s statement noted that Floridians will have a chance to reverse the six-week ban in November by voting yes on Amendment 4. This would constitutionally protect abortion in Florida up to fetal viability — generally considered 24 weeks gestation — with 60% of the vote.
If approved, the amendment would not take effect until January 1, 2025 at the earliest.
Even if the amendment passes, it doesn’t mean abortion access in the state would immediately revert to the way it used to be. Smaller, independent clinics like the Center of Orlando for Women may have lost staff or closed altogether by then.
The Abortion Care Network, a membership organization for independent abortion clinics, recorded 139 clinic closures nationwide between 2018 and October 2023. Many were shut down after the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to overturn constitutional protections for the procedure in 2022, a ruling which was quickly followed by bans and more restrictions in many southern states.
Most other states that enacted strict abortion bans since 2022 already restricted the procedure and didn’t have many clinics. Florida was different. Previously a destination for abortion-seekers, it had 52 clinics authorized to perform abortions across 16 counties in 2023, including four in Central Florida, according to the state.
“The money we are aiming to raise will be used to keep our trusted and professional abortion Facility running for the next seven months. These funds will help prevent the loss of our dedicated and experienced employees and medical personnel who are crucial to providing high-quality care,” the Orlando clinic’s GoFundMe page said.
Posted Thursday, the page had raised over $1,000 on Friday afternoon.
The Center of Orlando for Women has faced potential closure before and came away victorious.
In August 2023, the state Agency for Health Care Administration fined the clinic $193,000 for violating a Florida law that required women to wait 24 hours after their first clinic visit to get an abortion.
AHCA levied the maximum fine: $1,000 for each of the clinic’s 193 same-day abortions since the law took effect. Clinic leaders argued they didn’t know the law — previously tied up in court — had taken effect and said that a fine of that size could bankrupt them.
Within a matter of weeks, more than 6,000 people from around the world donated over $221,000 to the clinic via a GiveButter fundraiser.
