All-Trimester Abortion Clinic Prepares to Open in Maryland
An ob-gyn and nurse-midwife are gearing up to open an all-trimester abortion clinic near Washington, D.C. They aim to provide abortions later in pregnancy and serve women from states with bans. When it opens sometime after Labor Day, Partners in Abortion Care will be one of only a handful of clinics in the United States that offer abortions into the third trimester — in this case, up to 34 weeks' gestation.
The Transition of Medical Care
The equipment in the moving truck has come full circle. The Maryland clinic bought all of it second-hand from a clinic in Savannah, Ga., that shut down in June after 40 years providing abortions. It was one of many facilities that either shut down or stopped offering abortion services in states with bans enacted after Roe was overturned. Georgia now bans most abortions after about six weeks.
As they watch volunteers move the equipment into their office space, Dr. Diane Horvath, an obstetrician-gynecologist and co-owner of the upcoming clinic, tears up and embraces her business partner, Morgan Nuzzo, a certified nurse-midwife. "I was thinking about how Georgia lost access to abortion, like, this week. And we're getting this equipment from them. So — it feels very heavy," Horvath says. "We're going to take good care of the equipment," adds Nuzzo. "We keep talking about it as 'rehoming.' "
Legal Context and Patient Needs
Maryland has liberal abortion laws, and in July a law took effect that further expands abortion access. Now, along with physicians, qualified health providers including physician assistants, nurse practitioners, and midwives are allowed to perform abortions. The clinic expects to treat an influx of patients coming north from states with abortion bans enacted after the Supreme Court decision in June that overturned Roe v. Wade.
All-trimester abortion care "is a really politicized topic," Horvath says, "and it shouldn't be. Every time we draw a line and we say 'no more abortions after this point,' someone's going to fall on the other side of that line, and they're going to be harmed."
Clinic Infrastructure
Inside the brick office complex in College Park, Md., are the workings of a clinic that will offer abortions through all trimesters of pregnancy: an ultrasound machine, recovery room chairs, patient gowns, and boxes upon boxes of medical instruments and equipment. An exam chair sits in one of three procedure rooms at the Partners in Abortion Care clinic, which hopes to open in early fall.
Key Clinic Facts
- Clinic Name: Partners in Abortion Care
- Location: College Park, Maryland
- Maximum Gestation: 34 weeks (A full-term pregnancy typically lasts 40 weeks)
- Founding Partners: Dr. Diane Horvath and Morgan Nuzzo
- Facilities: Three procedure rooms