A new all-trimester abortion clinic has begun operations in Boulder, Colorado, stepping in after Dr. Warren Hern retired following five decades of performing late-stage procedures.
The RISE Collective, which stands for Reproductive Health, Inclusive Care, Support and Empowerment, started scheduling appointments for abortions beyond fetal viability roughly two weeks ago, filling the void left when Hern closed the Boulder Abortion Clinic in April, according to the Washington Times.
“In Boulder, a city with a long history of late-stage abortion care, a new chapter begins,” the organization said in a video statement.
Patients are not required to justify their decision to seek late-term care.
“Any reason you have for needing abortion care is yours, and it is the right one,” the statement added.
RISE emphasized that while Colorado law places no limits on gestational age, nationwide access to all-trimester care remains extremely limited.
Only an estimated five clinics across the United States provide abortions up to 34 weeks, placing RISE among a small cadre of providers capable of such procedures.
The clinic’s medical staff includes several clinicians with decades of experience performing late-term abortions, including former administrators and providers from Hern’s clinic.
Alicia Moreno, RISE’s executive director, said the new clinic maintains a core group of trained late-term abortion specialists.
“There are only about 15 doctors nationwide who perform later procedures. We have several of them in our group,” Moreno said. “We’re committed to continuing the expertise and care Hern established.”
Pro-life advocates criticized the new facility.
Kelsey Pritchard, spokesperson for Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, described the development as “disappointing but not surprising,” noting Hern’s former team has essentially resumed the same practice.
Pritchard highlighted that nine states and the District of Columbia now permit abortion without gestational limits, contributing to what she calls “abortion tourism” and taxpayer-supported expansion of late-term services.
Hern’s late-term procedures were often performed for severe fetal abnormalities identified late in pregnancy, though at least half of his patients did not have such diagnoses.
Research cited by the Charlotte Lozier Institute shows that between 2000 and 2004, Hern performed over 1,000 abortions on fetuses between 18 and 38 weeks’ gestation, with only about 20 percent linked to fetal disorders.
Medical experts note that late-term abortions are complex and rare.
Hern’s clinic described a four-day procedure in which the fetal heartbeat is halted on day one, followed by removal of uterine contents on day four.
Even Planned Parenthood facilities in the Rocky Mountain region limit surgical abortions to 25 weeks and six days, emphasizing the scarcity of all-trimester providers.
According to the CDC, approximately 93 percent of abortions occur before 13 weeks, and only 1 percent take place after 21 weeks.
Babies born at 28 weeks have a survival rate of 80 to 90 percent, and those born at 34 weeks often have outcomes comparable to full-term infants.
Financial challenges contributed to Hern’s decision to retire.
The cost of late-term procedures often exceeded $10,000, insurance coverage was limited and donor support declined.
While Hern initially considered delegating operations to his staff, he ultimately chose to close the clinic entirely.
Moreno noted, “His identity was so intertwined. He was BAC. BAC was him.”
Colorado’s regulations remain minimal, with parental-notification requirements for minors constituting the state’s most significant restriction, approved by voters in 1998.
The opening of RISE underscores the ongoing demand for late-term procedures and illustrates the continued national debate surrounding abortion access.
