The Women's Center, one of only two abortion clinics in Nashville, closing its doors

Brett Kelman | Nashville Tennessean

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One of only two abortion clinics in Nashville is closing its doors, and it remains unclear when or where it will reopen.

The Women’s Center, which has operated in the city since 1990, stopped taking new patients over the weekend and is now referring women to clinics in Knoxville and Bristol, said clinic attorney Thomas Jessee.

The center is closing because the owners have agreed to sell the building and the details of the sale are being finalized, Jessee said. The Women's Center intends to reopen and is now searching for a new location, he said.

“We are looking for an alternative site but haven’t found anything yet," Jessee said. "We have one doctor who would like to continue, but it's just a question of finding a place."

Jessee declined to identify the potential buyer of The Women's Center building at 419 Welshwood Drive.

The closure of the Women’s Center is a significant blow for women’s access to abortion in Tennessee. The center is at least the third clinic to close in recent years, leaving only seven others throughout the state. In Nashville, a national hub for the health care industry, Planned Parenthood is now the only abortion option.

Tennessee Right to Life, anti-abortion group based in Nashville, praised The Women's Center closure as a "milestone for pro-life efforts" in an email statement.

"We thank God for answering the prayers of so many pro-life Tennesseans," said group president Brian Harris. "At the same time, we recognize that vigilance in continuing all of our pro-life efforts is necessary to keep another abortion chain from stepping in to reap profit from the killing of innocent unborn children."

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In addition to being one of the few options for women in Tennessee, The Women’s Center also has a record of fighting in court to preserve women’s abortion options. In 2002, the Nashville center successfully challenged a law requiring abortion clinics to be licensed as ambulatory surgery centers, which would likely have increased abortion prices. The state reintroduced this law again in 2012, but later abandoned enforcement after it became clear the requirement was unconstitutional.

The Women’s Center also sued the state to challenge a new law requiring a 48-hour waiting period for all abortions. That lawsuit continues today, but will likely continue even if The Women’s Center shuts down because other clinics, including Planned Parenthood, later joined as plaintiffs.

Francie Hunt, executive director for the Tennessee Advocates for Planned Parenthood, described the closure of The Women’s Center as a sad symptom of the shrinking health care access throughout the the state.

In addition to a shrinking number of abortion clinics, Tennesseans face a the closures of rural hospitals and continued political opposition of expanded Medicaid, she said.

“We see this as a small part of an overarching health care access issue, but it’s notable that it is particularly pointed at women,” Hunt said. “Without a doubt, women’s health is an absolute target right now in the health care arena.”

Correction: This story has been edited to correct the number of abortion clinics in Tennessee.

Brett Kelman is the health care reporter for The Tennessean. He can be reached at 615-259-8287 or at brett.kelman@tennessean.com. Follow him on Twitter at @brettkelman.