There hasn't been a new abortion clinic in Carbondale, Illinois for decades but Memphis-based Choices is shuttering because of that state’s pro-life state laws. The CEO of Choices, Jennifer Pepper, chose the city of 25,000 because of its location in Southern Illinois. The city is also close to surrounding red states, including Arkansas, Missouri, and Tennessee.
Verlinda Newton of a Carbondale church ministry, Eagles Nest Watch, tells AFN a new abortion clinic is not a popular idea in the conservative-leaning city.
“No one wants to be a home,” she says, “where babies lose their lives, and possibly the mothers lose their lives as well, and it is sorrowful. It's grievous.”
Carbondale is home to a college campus, Southern Illinois University, which has a student population of approximately 8,100.
In an interview with NPR, the abortion clinic CEO said Carbondale can be a “critical access point” for the southeastern U.S.
