'I performed à service'
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For women in North Dakota, the lack of abortion services is more than a statistic in a newspaper article—it's reality. Last February, Dr. Robert Lucy, a 72year-old obstetrician-gynecologist, retired from his medical practice. He was the only physician in the entire state who performed abortions.
Working out of an office in Jamestown (located in the center of the state), Lucy performed more than 450 abortions per year. "I felt I performed a service," Lucy is quoted in The New York Times. "I saved lots and lots of marriages and prevented a lot of girls from having to quit school to have a baby."
So far, none of North Dakota's 1200 physicians has stepped forward to fill the void left by Lucy's retirement. The State Health Department cites ostracism by peers, which is no doubt fostered by a sustained campaign of picketing and harassment by anti-choice organizations, including Operation Rescue.
Since Dr. Lucy's retirement, the Women's Health Organization clinic in Fargo has been flying in doctors from other states to provide abortion services to North Dakota women. For many women, getting to the clinic means driving 350 miles to the Minnesota border, where Fargo is located.
Clinic Director Jane Bovard reports, however, that the long trek hasn't stopped women from coming from as far away as Saskatchewan and Manitoba, Canada. "Our patients get here no matter what," she says. "If they want an abortion, they'll come in a blizzard."-J.J.