Family Planning Clinic to Begin Offering Abortions : Planned Parenthood: The organization is still searching for doctors, but it says abortions will be available in 1990, probably at its Santa Ana clinic.

SANTA ANA —  Planned Parenthood will begin offering abortions in Orange County, probably at its Santa Ana clinic, officials said Friday.

Although a site has not been chosen, the Santa Ana clinic is favored because it is Planned Parenthood’s largest clinical facility in Orange County, said Margie Fites Seigle, executive director of Planned Parenthood in Orange County. Santa Ana also is the location of the family planning agency’s administrative headquarters.

The other Planned Parenthood sites in the county are in Garden Grove, Costa Mesa and Mission Viejo. The four clinics serve about 12,500 patients annually.

Planned Parenthood has not yet set a date for beginning its abortion program, but it will be in the first six months of 1990, Seigle said.

The local office has been ready to start abortion services for months, but it had been unable to find a physician to perform them, Seigle said Friday. Nationwide, the number of obstetricians and gynecologists willing to perform abortions has dropped because of the publicity surrounding protests.

“The fact is, we have not found the physician yet to do abortions or (offer) prenatal care,” Seigle said.

But Seigle said there is no shortage of doctors who perform abortions in Orange County.

“The key is finding a doctor who wants to work at Planned Parenthood,” she said. Some doctors are concerned about the publicity surrounding protests at highly visible family planning clinics, she said.

If Planned Parenthood is unable to find local physicians willing to perform abortions, the organization may extend its search outside the county, Seigle said.

The organization’s decision to offer abortion services in the new year drew fire Friday from anti-abortion groups, who say Planned Parenthood is likely to face protests.

Planned Parenthood’s decision comes as no surprise, said Russell Neal, director of Operation Rescue in Southern California, an anti-abortion activist group. Neal made his remarks in a hastily called press conference at a Buena Park bowling alley bar.

“We will continue to care and to protest against such evil activity,” Neal said.

Since its existence, Planned Parenthood has pushed for abortion, said Beverly Cielnicky, president of Crusade for Life, an anti-abortion group based in Anaheim.

“Their clinics refer pregnant women to abortion clinics, which is just as bad as doing the abortions themselves. This time, they are taking it one step beyond and offering it,” Cielnicky said.

Seigle argued that the abortion program would be an extension of the other services offered by Planned Parenthood.

“Abortion doesn’t go against family planning,” Seigle said. She added that Orange County clients had been frustrated because the clinics did not offer abortions.

Planned Parenthood will enact emergency procedures if there are any protests outside clinics, Seigle said. She would not detail what those procedures would be.

“Our concern is that our clients would be able to receive medical services without being harassed. While people have the right to protest, they do not have a right to prevent safe, legal, quality medical care,” Seigle said.

The abortions will cost about $230 and clients will pay according to a sliding scale or through Medi-Cal, she said.

Planned Parenthood has 16 affiliates in the state that operate 85 clinics. A third of the clinics provide abortions, Seigle said.

Earlier this month, hundreds of advocates from anti-abortion and pro-choice groups staged rallies throughout Los Angeles and Orange County, both claiming victory for their side. Southern California has been the site of several major rallies since Operation Rescue first appeared in Southern California in February as part of its nationwide campaign to shut down abortion clinics.