Macon abortion clinic plans put on hold

MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – Talks of a possible abortion clinic coming to Macon has caused some controversy since word of the clinic in May.

Sidewalks at the corner of Walnut and Spring Street are empty and it’s a lot quieter than it was in May.

“We began staging number of protests,” The Kolbe Center, a woman’s crisis center, Executive Director Ann Beall said.

The Macon Medical Center was the home of controversy after word of the Summit Center, a clinic, was coming here because one of the procedures the clinic does is abortions .

“The pro-life community become very complacent because we had not had an abortion clinic in 30-years and so there was a lot of people who felt passionately that we shouldn’t have an abortion clinic,” she said.

Every Monday, members of the Kolbe Center and other anti-abortion supporters came to 833 Walnut Street to hold marches and pray that the Summit Center wouldn’t move in.

Anti-abortion supporters Dr. Richard and Suzanne Rowe purchased the building and because of the purchase the Summit Center’s leasing agreement is no longer valid.

“We want to let them know that Macon is not going to be a friendly environment for them. No we can’t go buy every building that they think about going into, but we certainly can put pressure on them,” Beall said.

The Rowe’s are making the building available to the Kolbe Center. The center is looking for funds to renovate the old Macon Medical Center so they can move from Forsyth Street to Walnut.

The Summit Center declined to comment if they will look for another building to move into.