New office offering abortions thinks Macon is right choice. 100 protesters disagree
About 100 people demonstrated Monday outside the future site of a medical office on Walnut Street that would offer abortions. They prayed silently and held anti-abortion signs or posters advocating adoption.
“We’re here today to pray and silently protest the fact that this space has been authorized as an abortion clinic,” said Ann Beall, director of the The Saint Maximilian Kolbe Center for Life, which she described as a pregnancy resource center supported by the Catholic Church. “Our goal is to hopefully ever prevent them from opening.”
Beall said opponents have reached out to local government officials but added, “we have not had a specific conversation about this clinic, but that is coming.”
Last week, the Macon-Bibb County Planning & Zoning Commission approved a conditional-use permit for the Summit Center PC, to allow a medical office at 833 Walnut St. No one attended the meeting to oppose the application. The parent company, Summit Medical Centers, has offices in Atlanta and Detroit. It would provide low-cost women's gynecological health services including pap smears, vaginal infection treatment, flu vaccines, contraceptive prescriptions and "first trimester only abortion care and gynecological exams," according to its application.
Beall said the company was "very quiet" before it went before planning and zoning.
"There was no mention in the planning and zoning agenda that they were an abortion clinic — it was just a women’s health clinic,” she said.
Supplemental information, which is posted on the planning and zoning website, provides more information about the application and states the various services the Summit Center would offer, including abortion.
One reason the company chose Macon is because "the next closest facilities that provide abortion care are Atlanta and Savannah," said Tanya Little, executive director of the Georgia and Michigan offices. "So Middle Georgia is really without a provider for abortion care."
Also, the company is aware there "are a lot of folks" who don't have the means to travel long distances to get the services they want, Little said.
"It's an absolute hardship," she said. "We’re committed to providing quality abortion care, and that includes providing care in the communities where it’s inaccessible because there are no providers. ... We want to make sure that folks who need care can access it."
The U.S. Supreme Court legalized abortion in 1973 in its Roe v. Wade decision.
Beall acknowledged that abortions are legal, but "the question becomes: Are they going to make this clinic a place that’s clean and healthy and safe for women to have surgery? Looking at it today, I’d say it’s not there.”
Little said renovation at the building would begin in about 30 days, and she hopes it would open in about six months. Also, the company will do what it can to keep patients and employees safe.
"We take security very seriously," she said. "We are well-versed in the needs of our security. ... We are going to put all the pieces in place to be sure that everyone remains as safe as possible. We will employ security guards."
Sheriff’s deputies were present outside the building Monday urging demonstrators and reporters to remain on the sidewalk and not walk onto the future clinic’s property. But that didn’t stop Debra McMahon, a retired teacher who coaches cross country and conditioning at Mount de Sales Academy, from placing what she called “Miraculous Medals” in the hedges outside the building.
“It’s abortion that we’re keying on here,” McMahon said. "What the other services might be, I don’t know, it could be mammograms. I’m a breast cancer survivor. Those services are OK, but it’s the abortion part that we think might be stealth going on here. We are doing our due diligence in being here and being proactive and trying to see that this doesn’t happen in our community.”
Little said abortions would probably be the service used the most.
"The bulk of our services is abortion because it is not available elsewhere, and women do have more access to their OB-GYN care in most communities than they do to abortion care," she said.
Minton Williams, 66, of Macon, stood across the street from the building. He and other members of a men’s prayer group prayed outside the site about 7 a.m.
“We prayed some things concerning this place, the fact that we didn’t want it, we didn’t think it was scriptural,” Williams said. “We asked for the Lord to be just in his view toward this. We just believe that it’s killing. It’s just sad that we’re more concerned about saving baby whales than children. ... I know this is not doing the community any good, and it doesn’t need to be here. It’s harming people, including the mothers, and I think it’s just sad that we have to be here on a day like this.”
Father Scott Winchel, pastor of St. Joseph Catholic Church, led the demonstrators in prayer, standing on a grassy lawn on property adjacent to the proposed office.
“We also pray for those that own this business,” he said. “We pray that you’ll be in their hearts, that you’ll open their eyes, and walk with them and bring them closer to you.”
Little was aware of Monday's demonstration shortly after it took place.
"We do understand that abortion brings up strong emotions for people, but we feel strongly that however anybody feels about abortion, no one should be shamed when they are trying to navigate health care in their community.
"I would like to reiterate that we strongly believe and we strongly support and trust women to make the right decisions that are best for themselves and their families. And we are looking forward to providing safe, dignified care to the Macon community."
This story was originally published May 21, 2018 at 3:15 PM with the headline "New office offering abortions thinks Macon is right choice. 100 protesters disagree."