After sudden closure of Boulder Abortion Clinic, former staff plan to open new clinic

The unexpected closure last month of the Boulder Abortion Clinic, one of the few facilities in the United States that provided abortions later in pregnancy, has left patients and staff in limbo. Now, former employees say they’re working to open a new clinic in Boulder in the coming months. 

The closure came as a surprise, according to former staff, who said they had been developing a transition plan — one they believed was in place, though not yet formally finalized — to shift the clinic from its founder, Dr. Warren Hern, 86, to new leadership. Hern established the clinic in 1975, making it the nation’s first private abortion clinic and one of only a few offering care after 28 weeks of pregnancy.

Tens of thousands of patients have traveled from across the U.S. — and at times internationally — to access its services. Over five decades, Hern became a nationally known advocate for protecting access to later abortion care, which is almost always performed when a woman’s or fetus’ health or life is at risk. He had long been the target of threats and harassment. In one instance, a gunman fired five bullets through the clinic’s window. In 2009, a close friend and fellow abortion provider was murdered because of his work.

In recent years, Hern described protesters regularly stationed outside his office, harassing patients as they arrived.

“I decided that it’s time for me to end this work, for myself anyway, and will help support other people,” he told Boulder Reporting Lab last week. 

Former staff said they had encouraged Hern for years to consider stepping back from clinical care, especially as some funders began voicing concerns about his age and withdrew support. In December 2024, Hern announced his retirement and plans to turn over the clinic. But after months of  discussion, he ultimately decided to close the clinic rather than hand off day-to-day operations, according to former staff.

Nearly all of the clinic’s former team is now working together to open a new late-term abortion clinic in Boulder, Alicia Moreno, the clinic’s former chief operating officer, told Boulder Reporting Lab. “We’re working as hard as possible to figure out something in the next 60 to 90 days.”

Moreno said the leadership team had spent two years working with Hern on a transition and began drafting a memorandum of understanding in early 2025 to formalize the handoff. Debbie Riccioli, the clinic’s former director of counseling, said Hern would have remained the clinic’s owner under the agreement.

According to Moreno, Hern told staff on April 14 that he had signed the agreement. But the next day, he informed them the clinic would close at the end of the week.

“BAC  [Boulder Abortion Clinic] was something that he created, and I don’t know if he could see it exist without him,” Moreno said. “His identity was so intertwined. He was BAC. BAC was him.”

“It’s got to be really hard,” Moreno added. “You can’t say that there’s very many people in history that have been part of this kind of social movement and change in policy, and then had an easy time stepping away.”

Hern cited a number of factors, many of them financial, that made it difficult to continue. “Most of the patients don’t have any money,” he said, noting that last year, the National Abortion Federation cut funding to clinics by 50%.

“I’ve done my part, and I have to leave it to other people,” he said. “I’m proud of what we’ve done over 50 years.”

A difficult ending

The closure has been difficult for staff, too, they said. Many had worked at the clinic for decades and described the team as a family. 

“I’ve had coworkers who it’s been the only job they’ve ever had,” Riccioli said. “We can’t even imagine being apart from each other. That’s how much we love each other. And we absolutely cannot even imagine not doing this work.”

The abrupt closure also upended the clinic’s patient schedule. Staff had to cancel appointments for out-of-state patients and book them new travel to other clinics across the country, most located on the East Coast. 

In interviews, Hern has cited the declining funding but also a lack of available practitioners as reasons for the clinic’s closure. Riccioli said those comments were difficult to hear. She and others said the clinic had three clinicians maintaining a full schedule, and that Hern had identified a new medical director from the team.

“There was a staff, and we tried and tried,” she said. “There was no reason for Boulder Abortion Clinic to close. We were there, and we were ready to go.”

Hern told Boulder Reporting Lab that he had been seeking to pass on the clinic for years. “I’m 86, I’ll be 87 next month, and I’ve been looking for ways of turning this over to other people for at least 20 years,” he said. “Didn’t work out, and that’s the way it is.” 

Efforts to gradually transition clinical responsibilities had started years ago, Moreno said, but often stalled. When other doctors were unavailable, Hern would offer to step in himself. Citing safety concerns, staff eventually declined to assist, she said. Hern declined to comment on internal clinic operations.

Staff would have welcomed Hern as owner and advocate, but felt his continued role in clinical care had become unsustainable, Moreno said. “Anti-choice people wait for people like him to fall or to fail, and we definitely didn’t want to see that happen.”

A new chapter

On the day the clinic closed, former staff formed the RISE Collective — short for Reproductive Health, Inclusive Care, Support and Empowerment — to fill the gap in care as quickly as possible. They are now developing a business plan and working to secure a location.

“We have the most important part of the formula, which is a very well-trained staff,” Moreno said, referring to 17 former staff members with decades of experience — nearly the entire former Boulder Abortion Clinic team.

“There’s only about 15 doctors in the country that do later [abortion] work, and we have 20% of those doctors in our group,” she said. “We’re trying to keep the band together.”

They plan to begin with late-term abortion care and eventually expand to offer a wider range of reproductive and contraceptive care, early trimester abortions and gender-affirming care.

Boulder remains the right place to do this work, they said, citing supportive state laws, local partnerships and a strong community network. “Dr. Hern helped make Boulder and Colorado known for ensuring that abortion care is a human right,” Moreno said. “We’re dedicated to making sure that that doesn’t change.”

The collective is accepting donations to launch the clinic through the Brigid Alliance and for patient care through the Boulder Abortion Fund. They are still far from securing the funding needed to open, but former donors have signaled plans to fund patient care once the new clinic is operational, Riccioli said.

“We’ve talked to almost everyone we’ve lost, and they are very excited about this,” Riccioli said. “The funders are all behind us.” 

She credited Hern’s legacy as the foundation for what’s next. “Dr. Hern has established a good reputation in Boulder. His clinic is respected,” she said. “He has a place in history, without question.”