Reply #5: I'll bet

[FloridaJudy]

All the "nearby hospitals" - even those without religious affiliations - were threatened not so subtly by anti-choice activists. It doesn't surprise me in the least that local hospitals hesitated to sign any agreement with an abortion clinic. They'd be petrified as hell of the prospect of a lawsuit arising from any complication, even though elective abortions are hundreds of times safer than childbirth. They'd also be terrified of negative publicity, and of subjecting their staff to the kind of tactics the "Pro-Life" crazies are capable of. My own obstetrician was killed by an anti-choice fanatic, because he as worked in an abortion clinic (as did I, but in another town).

Unless you've been there, you have no idea how ruthless and insane a lot of Right-to-Lifers can be. I got used to replacing my slashed tires with distressing regularity, as well as the death threats. Providing abortion services requires intestinal fortitude, as well as a thick skin, and hospital administrators have never been famous for the former.