A Quiet Victory for Life: Boulder Late-Term Abortion Clinic Closes After 50 Years

“Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute.” – Proverbs 31:8

This year, a quiet but powerful milestone in the pro-life movement unfolded in Boulder, Colorado. Dr. Warren Hern, one of the most controversial figures in the abortion industry, has officially closed the Boulder Abortion Clinic — a facility that, for five decades, was known for performing some of the latest-term abortions in the United States.

For many of us who believe in the sanctity of every human life, from conception to natural death, this moment carries weight far beyond a simple retirement announcement. It marks the end of an era in which one doctor made it his mission to normalize and expand access to abortion deep into the third trimester. Now, as that chapter closes, it opens space for healing, reflection, and renewed commitment to the fight for life.

The Clinic That Made National Headlines — For All the Wrong Reasons

Founded in 1975, Dr. Hern’s clinic operated in a legal and moral gray zone. While the clinic marketed itself as a haven for women facing complicated pregnancies or fetal anomalies, its existence stood as a stark reminder of what happens when a nation fails to protect its most vulnerable citizens: the unborn.

Colorado is one of only a handful of states with no gestational limits on abortion. This allowed the Boulder Abortion Clinic to perform procedures well into the third trimester — at a point when preborn babies are not only viable but increasingly recognized by science, and even secular society, as fully human beings with their own distinct identities.

Dr. Hern was proud of this work. In interviews and public appearances, he described abortion as “a life-saving procedure,” even while acknowledging that he was ending lives. He performed thousands of abortions over the years — some of which were performed on women who had to fly in from states with tighter laws. For the pro-life movement, this made his clinic one of the most infamous late-term abortion centers in the country.

A Lifetime of Protest and Prayer

The closure of the Boulder Abortion Clinic is not just a bureaucratic footnote or a medical retirement. It’s the result of decades of faithful activism, relentless advocacy, and, above all, persistent prayer.

For years, pro-life advocates stood outside that clinic — often in the bitter cold, under verbal harassment, and sometimes even facing legal threats — simply to be a voice for the voiceless. Many brought sidewalk counselors, pamphlets, ultrasound vans, and open hearts. Others simply knelt in prayer.

Stories abound of women who changed their minds on the clinic steps, who accepted the offer of a listening ear or a safe place to stay. And though not every life was saved, every moment spent outside those doors was not in vain.

The fruit of those labors may not always be visible in real time — but today, with that clinic closed and its founder retired, it is very real.

A Culture at a Crossroads

The closure of Hern’s clinic is a welcome turning point, but it also highlights a deeper truth: we are a nation at a crossroads. We now have the opportunity to go full force into doing the right thing and stop sacrificing unborn babies.

Since the 2022 overturning of Roe v. Wade, the battle over abortion has returned to the states. Some have embraced life-affirming laws. Others, like Colorado, have doubled down on radical permissiveness. And yet, despite the legislative chaos, cultural winds are shifting.

More young people identify as pro-life than at any point in recent memory. Ultrasound technology has brought the humanity of the unborn into clear view. And women across the country are increasingly vocal about the trauma, grief, and regret left in abortion’s wake.

In many ways, Dr. Hern’s clinic represented the old guard — a time when abortion could be packaged as “women’s health” and ethical concerns swept aside as political rhetoric. That time is passing.

A Time to Mourn, and a Time to Build

We cannot talk about the closure of this clinic without acknowledging the loss that occurred there. Thousands of lives ended — each one precious and unrepeatable. We mourn for those children, for the families forever altered, and for the culture that allowed it to happen.

But now, we look forward and are learning from the mistakes of the past.

The end of Hern’s clinic is not just the removal of a building. It’s an opportunity. An opportunity to expand pregnancy resource centers. To pass stronger legal protections. To provide support to women in crisis. To build a culture where abortion is not only illegal — but unthinkable.

We must be the generation that refuses to settle for less than a world that values every human life — no matter how small, how sick, how unexpected, or how inconvenient.

A Legacy of Life

While the media frames Hern’s retirement as a loss for “women’s rights,” we know better. It is a step — however small — toward justice. Toward healing. Toward truth.

It’s also a reminder that faithfulness matters. That the quiet work of everyday people — praying, showing up, giving, serving — truly makes a difference.

To those who have fought for life in Boulder for the last 50 years: thank you. Your perseverance has not gone unnoticed. Your labor has not been in vain.

And to those who carry the torch now: keep going. There is still work to do. But today, we celebrate. We exhale. And we give thanks.

Because one more abortion clinic is gone. One more door has closed. And one more chapter in the culture of death has ended — making room for the culture of life to rise. Every small victory is a win because we already know who won the war: Christ Jesus. Amen.