News 8
Clinic expands, provides only late-term abortions in N. Texas 
03:24 AM CST on Wednesday, November 4, 2009
DALLAS - Dr. Curtis Boyd, who opened the first abortion clinic in North Texas 36 years ago, has expanded his practice and now provides a rare more controversial procedure known as a late-term abortion for women up to six months pregnant.
“I've been working day and night to get this open," he said when asked why he saw a need for such a procedure.
Dr. Boyd opened the Fairmount Center, Texas' first abortion clinic, in 1973.
But, after 36 years, his practice has outgrown the small office at Fairmount Street and Cedar Springs Road near Uptown.
He merged the clinic with Aaron Women’s Health Center and then reopened them both under a new umbrella known as the Southwestern Women’s Surgery Center at Royal Lane and Greenville Avenue last week.
Unlike his other clinic, the new location is a surgery center, which means Boyd and his staff are now able to offer late-term abortions for women in their second trimester up to six months or 24-weeks pregnant.
"For us, since we'll be serving such a large area, we'll probably see 2,000 second trimester abortions a year," he projected.
This is the only place of its kind in North Texas. But, it’s controversial because the fetus in the second trimester is viable.
"Before this opened, they're flying to Albuquerque,” Boyd said of his patients. “They were flying to Kansas, flying to Colorado, sometimes they went to Atlanta. So, there are women who desperately need and want this service and it wasn't available.”
"It is not illegal,” conceded Karen Garnett, Catholic Pro-Life Committee. "But, just because something's legal doesn't mean it's right. Slavery was legal and it wasn't right. Segregation was legal but it wasn't right. Abortion is legal but it's not right."
The Catholic Pro-Life Committee of Dallas relocated sidewalk counselors to the new clinic hoping to prevent women from going inside.
"We feel that if people don't see the other side then hearts will not be converted,” said Jackie Lee, a sidewalk counselor of seven years. “We're here to convert hearts."
Lee and her colleagues said their vigils at Dallas' five abortion clinics have saved 3,500 pregnancies since 1997.
Boyd said he too has staggering numbers, especially since second trimester abortions. He estimates that since opening the state's first clinic in 1973, his practice has performed 300,000 abortions.
At 72, Boyd is full of energy, vowing not to stop anytime soon. Those debating what he does vow the same.
At 4:30 p.m. Saturday, the Catholic Pro-Life Committee plan a prayer vigil and memorial outside Boyd’s old facility to remember the pregnancies women aborted.
Preventing two abortions Tuesday, Garnett said the sidewalk counselors have remained successful at the new location.
E-mail jwhitely@wfaa.com
