Planned Parenthood plans to close Appleton clinic due to security concerns

Source: Wisconsin State Journal

Planned Parenthood said Monday that it won't reopen its abortion clinic in Appleton because the facility can't meet stricter security protocols the organization adopted after the deadly attack on one of its clinics in Colorado last year.

Women will still be able to obtain abortions at Planned Parenthood clinics in Madison and Milwaukee. Women in northern and central Wisconsin, however, may have to drive hundreds of miles to reach those facilities. "We don't take this decision lightly at all," said Nicole Safar, director of government relations for Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin.

The Appleton clinic suspended operations in October due to a staffing shortage, said Chris Williams, chief operating officer for Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin. A gunman attacked a Planned Parenthood clinic in Colorado Springs the following month, killing three people, spurring Planned Parenthood to issue new security recommendations for its clinics across the country.

Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin has been investing in upgrades at its Madison and Milwaukee facilities, Williams said, but the Appleton clinic is an older building and upgrades there would have cost nearly $300,000. He declined to say what specific changes would have been needed.

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