RALEIGH -- One of four Triangle abortion clinics will no longer do procedures after Saturday, but it's unclear whether it will close or simply stop offering abortions.
National Women's Health Organization of Raleigh, which was founded in 1976 by the late women's rights activist Susan Hill, is "in transition," said Ann Rose, a longtime friend of Hill's who has been affiliated with the business.
Rose said the last day of procedures would be Saturday but would not elaborate on that or on what "in transition" means for the clinic's staff and potential patients.
The clinic was widely believed to be for sale after Hill died of breast cancer in February.
In addition to the Raleigh facility on Haworth Drive, Hill owned abortion centers in Columbus, Ga., and Jackson, Miss.
Her brother, Dan Hill of Durham, said he is uncertain about the status of the clinics but said Susan Hill had no children and no heirs to leave the businesses to.
"I think it would be a shame if the clinic does close," Dan Hill said, noting that his sister was committed to providing a service she felt was needed. He said his sister was strident in opposing anti-abortion activists who at times threatened her life, and any successor would need a similar fortitude.
"It's a hard role for anyone to step into," he said.
If the clinic stops providing abortions, Raleigh will have two centers remaining. Abortions are also provided at Chapel Hill's Planned Parenthood affiliate, while the Planned Parenthood office in Raleigh only makes referrals.
"We have certainly made referrals to Raleigh Women's Health over the years, and they have been a valued partner in meeting the reproductive health care needs of women in North Carolina," said David Nova, vice president of Planned Parenthood Health Systems Inc.
Abortions in North Carolina have been declining, as they have across the nation. In 2008, the latest year for available data, about 27,000 North Carolina women had abortions, according to the N.C. Center for State Health Statistics. That was down 4.6 percent from the previous year.
Nationwide, abortions are at their lowest level since the 1970s.
Staff writer Brooke Cain contributed to this report.
