After 50 years in operation, the Boulder Abortion Clinic has officially closed its doors. Opened on January 22, 1975, just two years after Roe v. Wade, the clinic became a hub for late-term abortions in Colorado. Now, three years after the historic overturning of Roe, the clinic has announced its permanent closure.
As a life-affirming movement, we are celebrating this moment. The Boulder Abortion Clinic was one of the few facilities in the nation that performed abortions between 22 and 32 weeks of pregnancy. Women traveled from across the country and even as far as Australia to end pregnancies in the third trimester. With abortion bans increasing in nearby states, Colorado saw a rise in abortion numbers, positioning this clinic as a tragic destination for late-term procedures.
Dr. Hern’s Retirement
The announcement of the closure came through a letter from Dr. Warren Hern, who has been a central figure in the abortion movement since the 1970s. He wrote, “When I have a patient, I can’t do anything else. Her safety and well-being is my priority. Nothing else matters while her life is at stake. I must now leave this sacred commitment to others.”
While Hern speaks of devotion to his patients, this careful consideration has tragically never extended to the baby in the womb. Thousands of babies lost their lives within those walls.
Dr. Hern officially announced his retirement on January 22, 2025, exactly 50 years to the day after the abortion center first opened. Throughout his career, he specialized in second- and third-trimester abortions and became one of the few physicians in the United States who openly performed them.
His ideals are controversial, specifically the iconoclast belief that pregnancy is not different from disease. Despite his love and devotion to his work, Hern himself admits that the human tendency to care for small creatures sometimes gets in the way.
“Our whole entire evolutionary experience is to take care of small helpless creatures, including human babies,” he told the LA Times. In the same interview, Hern admitted that even he has had to gather himself alone following an abortion procedure.
Still, Hern continued to determine if a late-term pregnancy was safe for each of his patients and performed the procedure to stop the baby’s heartbeat with an injection at his discretion.
Our Work is Far from Over
While we celebrate the closure of this clinic, the reality remains sobering. There is still a late-term abortionist operating in Pueblo, Colorado. And because of the state’s lack of restrictions, Colorado continues to serve as a destination for women traveling from other states to end their pregnancies, sometimes up until the moment of birth.
Additionally, chemical abortions are on the rise, not only in Colorado but across the country. These do-it-yourself abortion pills are increasingly being promoted and distributed without in-person medical oversight, leaving women isolated in their most vulnerable moments. The reality is heartbreaking: women are being sold the lie that abortion is easy, clean, and empowering, when in truth, many are left to face emotional, physical, and spiritual trauma alone.
A New Chapter for Colorado
We believe Colorado can write a different story—one that values both women and their unborn children. The closing of the Boulder Abortion Clinic is a massive victory for life, but we know our work is far from over. We hope that it opens the door for women to find life-affirming care in Boulder and across the state. Every woman deserves access to compassionate, holistic support, especially when facing an unexpected pregnancy.
Please consider donating a gift of $20 or more to fund grants that support our 24/7 digital platform, ensuring that women have access to life-affirming care in Colorado and across the United States.
