Planned Parenthood Set to Open Ambulatory Surgical Center in Dallas
As a dozen of the 20 legal abortion providers left in Texas prepare to close this fall, Planned Parenthood of Greater Texas announced this week that it would open a new ambulatory surgical center in Dallas, making it one of a handful of legal abortion providers that will remain open after the full implementation of HB 2, the omnibus anti-abortion law passed last summer after weeks of protest at the state capitol.
Planned Parenthood spokesperson Sarah Wheat told RH Reality Check that the organization is making minor renovations to the interior of an existing ambulatory surgical center in southeast Dallas, and that it should be ready to open in about a month.
. .
Wheat told RH Reality Check that HB 2′s hospital admitting privileges requirement made it impossible for Planned Parenthood to open an ambulatory surgical center in the rural parts of the state where local hospitals tend to be religiously affiliated.
“We used to provide services in Waco, but we cannot because of the admitting privileges,” said Wheat, noting that the only two hospitals that could potentially grant admitting privileges there are Baptist and Catholic affiliates.
More: Planned Parenthood Set to Open Ambulatory Surgical Center in Dallas