Group applies for license to operate abortion clinic in South Bend

SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- A nonprofit based in Texas is looking to open an abortion clinic in South Bend.

The Whole Woman’s Health Alliance has applied for a state license

To open up a clinic on the city’s northwest side despite some push back from local pro-life groups.

If all goes as planned, the building at 3511 Lincoln Way West could become the talk of the town.

“We’ve been preparing for this sort of an instance following the closure of Dr. Klopfer’s abortion clinic in South Bend,” said Antonio Marchi, the program director for St. Joseph County Right to Life.

St. Joseph County Right to Life is already talking.

The staff there is objecting to an abortion clinic opening in South Bend, two years after Women’s Pavilion on Ironwood Circle was forced to shut down.

“We believe that any healthcare needs of women in St. Joseph County can be met by organizations in our community,” said Marchi.

But the group eyeing the location for months says that’s not the case.

“We’ve seen a lot of clinics close in Indiana and women really having reduced access to high quality care,” said the founder, Amy Hagstrom Miller.

In terms of this particular service, only six licensed clinics remain in the state.

The closest one to South Bend is in Merrillville, about 70 miles away.

“Whole Woman’s Health has a really strong commitment to being able to offer high quality care to women no matter what their zip code is,” said Miller.

The group submitted its application to the Indiana State Department of Health earlier this year.

In August, they requested a waiver for certain state requirements because they would not provide any surgical procedures.