Abortionist Warren Hern held nothing back in a recent interview discussing his late-term abortion practice in Colorado, admitting that he believes viability – a preborn child’s ability to survive outside of the womb – is not determined by gestational age but by a woman’s willingness to carry her baby.
In an interview with The Atlantic, Hern, who runs the Boulder Abortion Clinic, argued that a baby is just a fetus until it’s “born alive,” taking the argument that abortion is about a woman’s choice to its logical and deadly conclusion.
When asked if he would perform an abortion on a woman who was 30 weeks pregnant with no health complications, Hern expressed irritation, stating that “[e]very pregnancy is a health issue” and that there is “a certifiable risk of death from being pregnant, period.”
Due to the overturn of Roe v. Wade last summer, some states have banned abortions in most or nearly all circumstances; however, Colorado allows abortion throughout all three trimesters of pregnancy. Following Roe’s reversal, Hern revealed that his facility has seen a 50% increase in women seeking abortions.
The late-term abortionist, who started committing abortions one year before the 1973 Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion nationwide, revealed more about his clinic practices during the course of the interview.
For example, Hern admitted that he has performed not one but two sex-selective abortions; once for a woman who didn’t want a baby girl and another who didn’t want a baby boy. Interviews with Hern’s staff highlighted how many women who visit the facility seeking later abortions do so due to their life circumstances or a delay in discovering they were pregnant.
The admission is consistent with what studies have found about the reason women typically undergo late-term abortions and with what the abortionists who perform abortions this late have said about them. Contrary to popular belief, late-term abortions are often committed on healthy women carrying healthy babies, and Hern’s practice is further proof of that.
These revelations are likely to shock the conscience of most Americans. Earlier this year, the Knights of Columbus released their annual Marist poll on sanctity-of-life issues. The poll, which surveyed 1,025 adults, found that only 21% of Americans believe abortion should be legal throughout any point of pregnancy, and a whopping 94% of Americans oppose sex-selective abortions.
In fact, even people within Hern’s line of work have misgivings about his practices. One anonymous physician quoted in the article asserted that it’s “problematic” for an 84-year-old man to commit abortions. The Atlantic also noted that some feel Hern’s abortion methods are out of date.
“If people don’t agree with me, I don’t really care,” Hern said. “I don’t give a [s**t].”
These concerns about Hern are not unfounded, however. In 2015, Jennifer and Jason DeBuhr filed a lawsuit against the late-term abortionist, claiming that Hern left a piece of their baby’s skull inside of Jennifer’s body. The couple sought to abort their pregnancy after their preborn child was diagnosed with cerebral abnormalities.
The lawsuit accused Hern of failing to warn the pair about the risks associated with undergoing an abortion and the side effects of having fetal tissue or bone left inside of Jennifer’s body. After completing the abortion, Hern told the DeBuhrs on Dec. 3, 2013, that all fetal tissue had been removed, but that was false.
Despite what the abortionist had told them, a 4-centimeter bone was still inside Jennifer, and she began to experience spotty bleeding in 2014. As it turns out, the skull fragment had become lodged in her uterus. Jennifer suffered severe pain and mental distress, and the removal of her uterus, according to the lawsuit. In addition to a permanent injury, Jennifer said that as a result of the abortion, she lost the ability to conceive another child.
At one point during The Atlantic interview, Hern shared that he is trying to train two other providers to one day take over his business. However, he confessed that finding people who are willing to perform this type of work is challenging.
Regardless of who is keeping Hern’s legacy alive, Reprotection will continue to monitor the abortionist’s practices and seek justice for those who are harmed at his facility and other clinics throughout Colorado.
It’s crucial that the public understand what’s happening inside of abortion facilities across the country, especially in places like Colorado, where the state health department doesn’t even have jurisdiction over these clinics.
This means there is no oversight governing abortionists like Hern unless a patient sues, as the DeBuhrs did. But not everyone has the time or the resources to file a lawsuit. That’s why Reprotection’s investigative work is so necessary, as we take on the brunt of the work to ensure that abortionists who injure or even killed their patients are held accountable for their actions.