Two former employees of late-term abortionist Warren Hern in Colorado expressed shock at Hern’s decision to close the facility after his retirement, saying they now intend to open a late-term facility of their own.
Earlier this year, longtime late-term abortionist Warren Hern announced his plans to retire, 50 years to the day from the opening of his facility in Boulder, Colorado. While he initially said he would keep the facility open, he announced just months later that he would instead close the facility permanently. Former staffers Alicia Moreno and Debbie Riccioli (who held the positions of chief operating officer and director of counseling at the Boulder Abortion Clinic, respectively) told The Boulder Reporting Lab they were blindsided by the closure, and vow to open a late-term facility in Boulder before the year is over.
KEY TAKEAWAYS:
- Retired late-term abortionist Warren Hern chose to close his former facility after claiming he would keep it open, blindsiding staff.
- For some of the workers at Hern’s facility, it was the “only job they’ve ever had.” Others say they “absolutely cannot even imagine not doing this work.” Yet, over the years, many of his employees experienced severe emotional distress from the job.
- Hern’s former employees have created the RISE Collective, intending to focus solely on late-term abortion once they can find a location. They claim they may eventually expand to earlier abortions.
- The Collective claims “the funders are all behind us.”
THE DETAILS:
Riccioli and Moreno said Hern led them to believe the facility’s leadership team had been working for two years to put a plan in place to allow staff to continue running the facility, while Hern would remain owner. Allegedly, he even signed an agreement to that effect on April 14, only to change his decision less than a week later, announcing a closure instead.
“BAC [Boulder Abortion Clinic] was something that he created, and I don’t know if he could see it exist without him. His identity was so intertwined. He was BAC. BAC was him,” Moreno said, adding, “It’s got to be really hard. You can’t say that there’s very many people in history that have been part of this kind of social movement and change in policy, and then had an easy time stepping away.”
Now, many of the staff hope to open an abortion business “in the next 60 to 90 days,” Moreno said.
“I’ve had coworkers who it’s been the only job they’ve ever had,” Riccioli said. “We can’t even imagine being apart from each other. That’s how much we love each other. And we absolutely cannot even imagine not doing this work.”
Hern had insinuated that declining money and the inability to find an abortionist to replace him led to the decision to close — which staff took as an insult. Riccioli said they had three abortionists working a “full schedule” on staff, and a medical director had been put in place already.
“There was a staff, and we tried and tried,” she said. “There was no reason for Boulder Abortion Clinic to close. We were there, and we were ready to go.”
They have now created the RISE Collective — which stands for Reproductive Health, Inclusive Care, Support and Empowerment — and are looking for a new location. They intend to focus solely on late-term abortion for now, and then later, may expand to abortion through all three trimesters of pregnancy.
“We have… a very well-trained staff,” Moreno said. “There’s only about 15 doctors in the country that do later [abortion] work, and we have 20% of those doctors in our group. We’re trying to keep the band together.”
And allegedly, they have donors ready. “We’ve talked to almost everyone we’ve lost, and they are very excited about this,” Riccioli said. “The funders are all behind us.”
REALITY CHECK:
One looming question is whether the new facility will be kept in better condition than the Boulder Abortion Clinic was. As one article from the Los Angeles Times mentioned, Hern kept the facility in disrepair — even as he maintained a lavish home for himself.
“Security costs and debts have become so ‘crippling,’ Hern said, that he delayed building a new facility. For now, he’s stuck with the 70-year-old building’s plumbing problems, finicky water heater and uneven clay foundation,” the Times wrote. “Back home on a recent evening, Hern considered the stunning mountain vista framed by the front window of his living room. His wildlife photography covered the walls surrounding his gleaming grand piano.”
Hern allegedly took in as much as $25,000 for one abortion, yet somehow could not manage to maintain his facility.
The Times also noted that many of Hern’s staffers experienced harm from participating in abortions:
The work has caused some of his employees “serious emotional reactions that produced physiological symptoms, sleep disturbances, effects on interpersonal relationships and moral anguish,” Hern reported in a medical journal.
Some said they dreamed that they vomited fetuses.
And yet, his former staff now claims they “cannot even imagine” doing something for a living other than killing babies late in pregnancy.
In another profile, Hern also admitted having difficulty with an abortionist-in-training, who had a serious reaction after participating in an abortion at 34 weeks gestation. “This was rather disconcerting to her, and I told her there was nothing wrong with feeling that way,” Hern said.
This is not altogether surprising, as 34 weeks is nearly full-term, and the survival rate is nearly 100%. Late-term abortion is also incredibly violent, and abortionists have spoken out about how difficult it is to commit abortions. As one Planned Parenthood abortionist said of Hern and his staff:
“Hern found that D&E was ‘qualitatively a different procedure – both medically and emotionally –than early abortion,’” she wrote, adding, “Many of his staff members reported: ‘…serious emotional reactions that produced physiological symptoms, sleep disturbances (including disturbing dreams), effects on interpersonal relationships and moral anguish.’”
THE BOTTOM LINE:
Despite the horrific nature of late-term abortion, the RISE Collective will evidently be focusing solely on this, while also touting the allegedly high number of abortionists they have ready to go and the family-like atmosphere of the staff.
But how many staffers are dealing with the emotional distress that comes with committing late-term abortions? Or have those staff members already been weeded out, which is why there are less than 20 left?
Boulder — and every city — deserves to be free of this kind of unnecessary, brutal violence against human beings — for good.
