Empty parking lot of the Albany abortion clinic in Chicago, last open for business on Oct. 17, 2015 [Photo by John Jansen, Oct. 21, 2015]
Nearly six months ago the Pro-Life Action League reported the closing of Family Planning Associates’ (FPA) Albany Medical-Surgical Center abortion clinic in Chicago.
October 17 was the last day it was open, and just a few days later, a sign was posted on the door directing people to another FPA abortion facility located in downtown Chicago.
Yet during this same time, the words “Family Planning Associates Medical Group” were removed from the large sign in the facility’s parking lot. (Here is how the sign formerly looked, and here is how it looks now.)
By October 27, callers to Albany were being told that the closing was permanent. But some time later, the Pro-Life Action League obtained information revealing that Albany’s owner, Walter Dragosz, was trying to reopen.
“Temporarily Closed for Remodeling”?
On November 2, we discovered that the Family Planning Associates website indicated that the Albany abortion clinic was “temporarily closed for remodeling” — but we were skeptical.
Indeed, Albany did negotiate last July to pay $32,000 to satisfy the $50,000 in outstanding fines assessed by the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH), but as part of the same consent agreement [PDF], Albany had also agreed to adhere to a series of deadlines pertaining to construction that would bring the facility up to code as an ambulatory surgical treatment center (ASTC), and at that point they were already way behind schedule.
A few days later the Pro-Life Action League obtained documents [PDF] via the Freedom of Information Act that included a letter from Walter Dragosz (Albany’s owner) to IDPH dated October 21 in which he said, “Pregnancy termination services at this facility have been temporarily suspended.”
Also included was a letter to IDPH from notorious abortionist Steve Lichtenberg dated October 20 in which he announced that Family Planning Associates would no longer be managing the Albany facility. Lichtenberg also said that he would be officially resigning as Albany’s medical director on October 21, along with Diana Maracich and Holly Hines, who would be resigning as administrator and supervising nurse, respectively, also on October 21.
Phone Number Now Answered by Competitor
In December we discovered that the Albany phone number (which, to this day, is still listed on the FPA website, even though FPA has pulled out) is now being answered by one of abortionist Vinod Goyal’s employees — that is, one of FPA’s biggest competitors, as Goyal owns four abortion facilities in the Chicago area.
How did the Goyal abortion chain get ahold of Albany’s phone number? The two most likely possibilities are:
- Goyal snatched it up as soon as it was publicly available after Albany relinquished control of it. Or:
- Dragosz (Albany’s owner) allowed Goyal to use it.
The second explanation seems more probable, especially in light of a telephone conference held January 12 in which Albany’s lawyer, Richard Kates, told Administrative Law Judge Camela Gardner that Albany had attempted to forge a relationship with another party — presumably Goyal and company — who would be willing to manage the facility, although those plans ultimately fell through.
As a result, Dragosz remained without any employees. And without employees, he couldn’t possibly hope to reopen Albany.
Closed for Good
Today, the Pro-Life Action League obtained documentation [PDF] from the IDPH revealing beyond any doubt that Albany will definitely not be reopening. On March 25 — Good Friday and the traditional feast of the Annunciation — Dragosz acknowledged that he was unable to find anyone to run Albany, and thus he formally agreed to surrender the facility’s ASTC license.
This notorious Chicago abortion clinic is now closed for good. To God be the glory!
