Lawsuit filed over zoning of Rockford abortion facility in northern Illinois

A lawsuit has been filed over an abortion facility which opened in a residential neighborhood in Rockford, Illinois.

The Thomas More Society is challenging a special use zoning permit that was granted to RFD Family Planning, owned by abortionist Dennis Christensen. Christensen had previously retired, but returned to committing abortions after Roe v. Wade was overturned in June of 2022. Christensen’s decision to come out of retirement after the fall of Roe made headlines; he had been filmed years prior sifting through a baby’s dismembered body parts (warning: graphic) after a second-trimester abortion in the documentary, “Lake of Fire.” The day Christensen’s new facility opened, a woman was arrested for assaulting pro-lifers there.

In a press release, the Thomas More Society explained that residents of the area were not happy about the facility’s opening.

“An abortion clinic in the middle of a residential neighborhood would be a problem under any circumstances,” Thomas More Society Vice President and Senior Counsel Peter Breen said. “But it is especially egregious in this situation. This abortionist has already been run out of town previously, having had his facility shut down over 10 years ago by the Illinois Department of Health, because of the risks he posed to the safety and health of area women. The residents of Rockford didn’t want him practicing in their town then and they don’t want him selling abortions in their neighborhood now.”

While Christensen brushed off the lawsuit as “the same old thing” in an interview with WIFR, Breen pointed out that, even for abortion supporters, an abortion facility in your backyard is not desirable.

“Abortion clinics are known for bringing disturbances, loud protests and counterprotests, as well as decreases in nearby property values and significant traffic impacts,” Breen said. “Opening such a facility in a residential area not zoned for commercial use would significantly impede residents’ ability to live quiet, peaceful lives. The proposed use for this property should be independently reviewed because of its unique characteristics, traffic impacts, and effects on the surrounding community.”

The plaintiffs in the lawsuit are four individuals who all live within 1200 feet of the abortion facility. “If the people want to continue to have the service available, tell them its none of their business,” Christensen said in response to the lawsuit. “Stay out of my business, and I’ll stay out of yours.”

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