New Abortion Clinic to Open in New Jersey
An abortion clinic focused on late-term procedures is expected to open its doors in New Jersey next year. New Jersey is among nine states, along with Washington D.C., that impose no restrictions on abortion. However, there are only a few clinics across the nation that perform these procedures during the later stages of pregnancy.
Dr. Christine Brandy and nurse Catherine Obando have grown frustrated with having to send women out of state for late-term abortions. As a result, they are collaborating to establish what would be New Jersey’s first full-pregnancy abortion clinic, known as the Luminosus Wellness Collective. Currently, no practitioners in New Jersey are willing to perform abortions after the 28-week mark, a critical period when some babies can survive outside the womb.
The clinic is planned to open by the summer of 2026 and requires licensing from the New Jersey Department of Health to operate legally. So far, they have secured $20,000 in funding from private donors. In addition to abortion services, the clinic aims to provide HIV support, obstetrics and gynecology services, along with treatments for gender transition, although such drugs can be somewhat controversial.
Obando emphasized the importance of creating a supportive healthcare system in New Jersey, arguing that residents shouldn’t have to leave the state for necessary medical care.
Each year, thousands of abortions occur after the 21-week mark in the United States, but reports from media and certain advocates claim that these late-term procedures are rare, as they constitute a small fraction of total abortions. For instance, while there were around 625,978 legal abortions recorded, only about 1% were conducted after 21 weeks, equating to over 6,000 viable babies lost. The pro-abortion Guttmacher Institute estimates that more than a million abortions could take place in 2023, with the CDC suggesting that the number of late-term abortions may reach at least 10,000, though its data does not account for nine states and Washington D.C., possibly underestimating the total.
In fact, there are no restrictions on abortion in states like Alaska, Vermont, Oregon, New Mexico, and several others. This initiative in New Jersey highlights ongoing debates around reproductive rights and access to healthcare.
