Abortion clinic coming to Pueblo expects high volume of local and out-of-state patients

A national abortion provider with plans for a clinic in Pueblo expects a "large amount" of out-of-state patients will travel to the new clinic in the Bessemer neighborhood for services when it opens.

Clinics for Abortion and Reproductive Excellence (CARE), which has clinics in Nebraska and Maryland, has secured a property at 1930 E. Orman Ave. When it opens, the CARE clinic will provide birth control and perform surgical first- and second-trimester abortions.

There are currently no abortion services in Pueblo and haven't been for several years.

CARE Chief Operating Officer Lee Carhart IV purchased the property on Sept. 19, according to the Pueblo County assessor's website, but no date has been set for the clinic's opening. CARE is still looking for donations for renovations and equipment, Carhart said.

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"We anticipate to see patients who are local to Pueblo and other cities in Colorado," Carhart said. "We also expect a large amount of traveling patients from Oklahoma and Texas due to their restrictive state laws."

Following the U.S. Supreme Court's June 24 decision to reverse Roe v. Wade, 13 states, including Texas and Oklahoma, passed "trigger laws" to ban most abortions, according to the Associated Press. As the clinic closest to the southeast border of Colorado, Pueblo's CARE clinic will be among the nearest abortion providers to individuals living in Texas and Oklahoma.

The CARE clinic will be the only abortion clinic in Pueblo County. Prior to 2015, the county had a Planned Parenthood at 955 U.S. 50 West that provided abortion counseling and consultation but did not perform abortions. The Planned Parenthood was forced to close after the building was sold to a new owner, Pueblo Galleria LLC, which refused to renew the lease, according to a January 2015 Chieftain article.

Prior to its closure, Planned Parenthood of The Rocky Mountains had operated a clinic in Pueblo since 1964.

Carhart said measures will be put in place to ensure the Pueblo CARE clinic does not experience a similar situation to the one that resulted Planned Parenthood leaving Pueblo more than seven years ago.

Currently, the closest abortion providers to Pueblo are the Planned Parenthood locations in Colorado Springs and Alamosa, according to a National Abortion Federation provider map.

Aside from their incoming Pueblo clinic, CARE has offices in Bellevue, Nebraska, and Bethesda, Maryland. Specializing in second- and third-trimester abortions, the Maryland clinic sees patients who travel from across the country for services. The Nebraska location primarily sees patients local to the Midwest and performs abortions up to the state limit of 20 weeks.

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Pueblo was chosen as a third clinic location due to its public transportation system, the well-preserved building they found for the clinic and the area's current lack of abortion access, Carhart said.

He said Pueblo individuals he's spoken with have been "open and welcoming" to the new clinic.

"We will be sure to have security cameras and other safety measures in place to protect the patients, staff and community from any protestors," Carhart said. "We are thankful to Colorado's various state laws that protect individuals entering health care facilities."

In Colorado, it is a Class 3 misdemeanor to knowingly obstruct or hinder others from entering health care facilities, including licensed clinics that perform abortions. Knowingly obstructing or hindering another includes standing within 8 feet of another person without their consent for purposes of distributing pamphlets, displaying signs or oral protest within 100 feet of a health care facility's entrance, according to the Colorado Revised Statutes.

Pueblo Chieftain reporter James Bartolo can be reached by email at JBartolo@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on The Pueblo Chieftain: Pueblo abortion clinic coming after years with no abortion provider