MADISON, WI (WTAQ) – The Grand Chute clinic of Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin will not reopen.
“Last November, the Planned Parenthood health center in Colorado Springs was the target of a violent attack. This unfortunate tragedy took place a month following what was intended to be a temporary suspension of services at the Appleton North Planned Parenthood facility located at 3800 N. Gillett Street to address a staffing shortage,” said Teri Huyck, CEO Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin in a statement. “Following our extensive review, however, we concluded that our Appleton North facility cannot meet the stringent security standards we have in a post-Colorado Springs environment. As a result, we made the difficult decision not to reopen the Appleton North facility as originally planned.”
Planned Parenthood suspended clinic operations at the Grand Chute clinic, which offered abortion services, last year due to staffing concerns.
One officials with Planned Parenthood says security was a top priority.
“The lot that it was on itself wouldn’t allow us to make some of those changes and upgrades that would’ve been made,” said Tanya Atkinson, Vice President of External Affairs for Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin. “So that was a major consideration is that physically we weren’t able to make some of those changes.”
Planned Parenthood will still operate clinics in Appleton and Green Bay that provide general reproductive health services and medical screenings.
MIXED REACTION
Groups on both sides of the pro-life, pro-choice debate weighed in Monday on the decision by Planned Parenthood.
“We’re so over joyed with the news that Planned Parenthood here in Appleton closed down, we were praying about it for a long time, and today god answered that prayer,” Pro-Life Wisconsin State Director Dan Miller said in a statement. “This doesn’t happen to often an abortion facility to close. It’s a great day to celebrate, that’s one more day that babies won’t die and mothers won’t cry.”
Expressing disappointment with the decision, the Wisconsin Alliance for Women’s Health says there are just 3 facilities in the state that offer abortion services remaining.
“The recent wave of legislative attacks on reproductive health care combined with the toxic political rhetoric around the issue are jeopardizing women’s health in our state,” Sara Finger, Executive Director. “Political restrictions on abortion care doesn’t remove the need and demand for those services. Rather, these restrictions put unnecessary barriers on women’s access to care and allow some of the more radical opponents of abortion to focus their tactics of harassment, and even sometimes violence, on the very few facilities that continue to provide abortion care.”
LEGISLATIVE PUSH CONTINUES
Atkinson doesn’t think that advocates for Planned Parenthood should read too much into Monday’s decision to close the clinic.
“We are constantly continuing to find ways to expand access,” Atkinson said. “We’re also very willing to work with other providers who would like to provide abortion services.”
She adds that Planned Parenthood can’t do this alone, and rely on their supporters and activists to keep up the fight.
“We’re going to do everything we possibly can in the Legislature, in the community, to ensure we can continue to provide services no matter what,” said Atkinson. “We know we have a real tough environment in the Legislature, and we also know that we have amazing champions, so we will continue to push forward pro-active legislation as much as we’re able, and push back against the political attacks.”
