Official Statement from Karen Garnett, CPLC Executive Director, on opening of new late-term abortion

October 28, 2009

The Catholic Pro-Life Committee expresses our deep disappointment upon learning that there are plans for a late-term abortion facility to be operating again in Dallas, after a 14-month reprieve following the closing of Aaron’s abortion center in August 2008. While we were aware that plans were in the works for a possible new facility affiliated with Fairmount after Aaron’s' closure, we have been praying that this would not be an additional facility, thereby bringing the number of killing centers in our city back up to six. We have confirmed that the new facility in North Dallas is a relocation from Fairmount; there remain five abortion centers in Dallas, down from 13 in 1990. The new facility in North Dallas, Southwestern Women's Surgery Center at Greenville Ave and Royal Lane, is registered as an ambulatory surgical center, equipped to kill innocent unborn children through 24 weeks gestation. God, have mercy on us.

One abortion in our city is one too many; five abortion centers in our city are five too many. We will continue to pray and work, peacefully and legally, for Dallas to be free of these five terrible "wounds in our city," where the innocent blood of more than 11,000 unborn children is shed each year. We remain unwavering in our commitment to realizing an abortion-free Dallas, even if it remains legal to kill unborn children in our city, state and country. As in the case of slavery and other grave injustices, just because something is legal does not always mean it is right. It is a grave injustice and crime against humanity for innocent unborn children to be legally and violently killed each day. God, have mercy on us.

While we are also extremely disappointed that the new facility will not provide our sidewalk counselors with the kind of access to speak with the mothers arriving for abortions that we had at Fairmount, access which resulted in thousands of lives being saved there over the last 12 years, we feel certain that a late-term abortion facility is not welcome in our community, and through peaceful, legal prayer, public witness and sidewalk counseling efforts, many lives will still be spared outside the new facility. We look forward to working with the churches, businesses and residents – particularly in the Lake Highlands area, where this facility intends to perform its grisly operations – to do all that we can, peacefully, prayerfully and legally, to save the lives of the innocent unborn children scheduled to be killed and to offer help and hope to their mothers.

We are calling on people of faith from all over Dallas and the surrounding suburbs to join with us in a renewed, massive prayer and public witness effort against this grave evil in our community. We also ask all people of faith to pray for the conversion of heart of abortionist Dr. Curtis Boyd, his wife Glenna Halvorson-Boyd, Ph.D., and all the clinic staff at the Southwestern abortion center on Greenville Avenue, as well as the abortionists and clinic workers at the other four abortion facilities in Dallas. The average age of abortionists in America is 72. It is also our earnest prayer that younger doctors in America, and Dallas, continue to refrain from joining the abortion industry.
Deliver us, Lord, from the evil of abortion.