{"id":331693,"date":"2025-05-22T13:12:19","date_gmt":"2025-05-22T18:12:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.liveaction.org\/news\/?p=331693"},"modified":"2025-05-22T10:46:31","modified_gmt":"2025-05-22T15:46:31","slug":"abortionists-blindsided-staff-late-term-abortion-business","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/abortionists-blindsided-staff-late-term-abortion-business\/","title":{"rendered":"Abortionist’s blindsided former staff vow to open new late-term abortion business"},"content":{"rendered":"
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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.<\/p>\n

Earlier this year, longtime late-term abortionist Warren Hern announced his plans to retire<\/a>, 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<\/a>. 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<\/a> 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.<\/p>\n

KEY TAKEAWAYS:\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\n
    \n
  • Retired late-term abortionist Warren Hern chose to close his former facility after claiming he would keep it open, blindsiding staff.<\/li>\n
  • For some of the workers at Hern’s facility, it was the “only job they\u2019ve ever had.” Others say they “absolutely cannot even imagine not doing this work.\u201d Yet, over the years, many of his employees experienced severe emotional distress from the job.<\/li>\n
  • Hern’s former employees have created the RISE Collective, intending to focus solely on late-term abortion<\/em> once they can find a location. They claim they may eventually expand to earlier abortions.<\/li>\n
  • The Collective claims “the funders are all behind us.”<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    THE DETAILS:<\/h3>\n

    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.<\/p>\n

    \u201cBAC [Boulder Abortion Clinic] was something that he created, and I don\u2019t know if he could see it exist without him. His identity was so intertwined. He was BAC. BAC was him,” Moreno said, adding, \u201cIt\u2019s got to be really hard. You can\u2019t say that there\u2019s 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

    Now, many of the staff hope to open an abortion business “in the next 60 to 90 days,” Moreno said.<\/p>\n

    \u201cI\u2019ve had coworkers who it\u2019s been the only job they\u2019ve ever had,\u201d Riccioli said. \u201cWe can\u2019t even imagine being apart from each other. That\u2019s how much we love each other. And we absolutely cannot even imagine not doing this work.\u201d<\/p>\n

    Hern had insinuated<\/a> that declining money and the inability to find an abortionist to replace him led to the decision to close \u2014 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.<\/p>\n

    \u201cThere was a staff, and we tried and tried,\u201d she said. \u201cThere was no reason for Boulder Abortion Clinic to close. We were there, and we were ready to go.\u201d<\/p>\n

    They have now created the RISE Collective \u2014 which stands for Reproductive Health, Inclusive Care, Support and Empowerment \u2014\u00a0and are looking for a new location. They intend to focus solely on late-term abortion<\/em> for now, and then later, may expand to abortion through all three trimesters of pregnancy.<\/p>\n

    \u201cWe have… a very well-trained staff,\u201d Moreno said. \u201cThere\u2019s only about 15 doctors in the country that do later [abortion] work, and we have 20% of those doctors in our group. We\u2019re trying to keep the band together.\u201d<\/p>\n

    And allegedly, they have donors ready. \u201cWe\u2019ve talked to almost everyone we\u2019ve lost, and they are very excited about this,\u201d Riccioli said. \u201cThe funders are all behind us.\u201d<\/p>\n

    REALITY CHECK:<\/h3>\n

    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<\/a>, Hern kept the facility in disrepair \u2014 even as he maintained a lavish home for himself.<\/p>\n

    \u201cSecurity costs and debts have become so \u2018crippling,\u2019 Hern said, that he delayed building a new facility. For now, he\u2019s stuck with the 70-year-old building\u2019s plumbing problems, finicky water heater and uneven clay foundation,\u201d the Times wrote. \u201cBack 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.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

    Hern allegedly took in as much as $25,000 for one abortion<\/em>, yet somehow could not manage to maintain his facility.<\/p>\n