Neb. Physician Carhart Expanding Abortion Services To Three States

November 10, 2010 — In the wake of a Nebraska law (LB 1103) banning abortion after 20 weeks' gestation, Nebraska-based abortion provider LeRoy Carhart plans to establish clinics offering abortion services late in pregnancy in three other states, the Omaha World-Herald reports. The law, which took effect Oct. 15, prohibits abortion after 20 weeks based on supporters' claims that fetuses can experience pain at that stage. Abortion services after 20 weeks' gestation are allowed only to save the life of the woman or prevent major physical injuries.

Carhart said on Tuesday that he intends to challenge the law, adding, "We feel it's definitely unconstitutional." It could be several months before a challenge is filed, the World-Herald reports (Braden, Omaha World-Herald, 11/10). "In the meantime, I need a place for women to go," Carhart said.

The first of the new clinics will open by Dec. 6 in a Maryland suburb of Washington, D.C., with the second in Council Bluffs, Iowa. The third site will provide services at an existing clinic in Indianapolis, Ind., Carhart said. The three clinics will join the current Bellevue, Neb., clinic to form the Carhart Centers for Sexual and Reproductive Health. (AP/Chicago Tribune, 11/10). Carhart said private donations and financing will fund the estimated $1.5 million needed to open the clinics.

Julie Schmit-Albin, executive director of Nebraska Right to Life, said Carhart's expansion to other states indicates the strength of the Nebraska law and signals that it was "the right strategy" (Omaha World-Herald, 11/10).