Early last year, we heard that an anti-choice organization bought out the lease for our flagship Whole Woman’s Health of Austin clinic site, a move that was just the latest of several attempts by anti-abortion organizations to eliminate access to abortion care for Texans. Instead of getting sidetracked from our mission and drawn into a useless fight with the opposition that could distract us from our core purpose – we decided to move.
We decided to make lemonade from lemons and use the opportunity to find a new space, in a growing area and to make a bold move forward for our Austin clinic. It sure took us longer than we expected, and the obstacles were far greater than we’d ever thought, but today we are happy to share some good news. We found a beautiful new location in North Austin that meets all of our needs, and we can’t wait for you to see it. The address is 4100 Duval Road and we have a beautiful suite in an established, secure medical complex. The new location will be open and caring for patients beginning February 26, 2019.
Our story has a happy ending, we actually DID make lemonade out of lemons, but the events that led to our move are troubling.
We need your help fighting the abortion stigma that led to us being pushed out of our flagship Austin location.
Abortion stigma often manifests in unexpected parts of our lives, like searching for real estate or construction vendors, evidenced by the fact that it took over 8 months for us to find this new space, after many locations on our initial list of more than 80 properties turned us down because we offer abortion services. It was really shocking, and at times scary, to think we might not find space at all.
The anti-abortion movement’s attacks will continue – from the legislature to the courts and even behind the scenes with our realtors and vendors – but we persist, and we prevail. We aren’t going to hide in the shadows like they want us to. We’re proud of the compassionate, holistic care we provide at Whole Woman’s Health of Austin – our doors are open, and we stand in the light.
We did prevail, but this experience tells us we all have much work to do for abortion rights, health and justice in Texas– YES, even in a place like Austin. It is high time for Austin to demonstrate the progressive values our community is known for, with actions and not just words. Abortion is healthcare, plain and simple. Whole Woman’s Health of Austin is here to provide that care with the dignity and compassion that all people deserve
Here’s how you can help. First, sign our statement of support .
Then, donate. We’re a nonprofit organization that has powerful programs focusing on education and advocacy that support the eradication of abortion stigma in the community and amplify the good work our staff teams do to provide abortion care services in our clinic. We can’t do our work without your support. Any donation helps.
