Planned Parenthood clinic in this conservative desert town is now a refuge for Arizonans seeking abortions
EL CENTRO, Calif. — On a recent Monday afternoon, all the abortion appointments at Planned Parenthood-Imperial Valley Health Center were already booked up for the week.
Vivian Perez, an office manager at the center, had already clocked in a 12-hour day, but she remained in the office tinkering with the schedule. She’d received a desperate call from the San Diego call center, which helps with scheduling.
“Could you please add one more” patient? the scheduler asked.
Knowing that the patient was probably traveling from far away, Perez managed to squeeze her in.
It didn’t used to be this way.
The El Centro clinic was always busy. Now it’s overwhelmed as it finds itself on the front lines of the drastic changes wrought by the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent Dobbs decision, which by overturning Roe v. Wade eliminated 50 years of federal protections for abortion care.
Almost instantly, many abortion clinics throughout the country stopped providing services, positioning states such as California, where the
