FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Eileen Diamond was going over patient intake forms in her small office next to the waiting room at the abortion clinic she oversees in South Florida.
“This patient said not to discuss the cost of the procedure when her boyfriend is in the room,” she told a fellow staff member. Diamond is the director of Benjamin Surgical Services International, whose doors have been open for nearly 50 years in the Fort Lauderdale area.
“This one has no money, but she’s getting close to six weeks,” the staff member read off another sheet.
“This one already has three kids and is on probation, she needs to get in front of a judge ASAP.” “This one texted me from the waiting room, she can’t afford the ultrasound.” “This one has a fetal abnormality but just called ― it’s too overwhelming to travel with her kids, she’s continuing the pregnancy.” “This one’s 16 years old.”
Diamond and the staffer went back and forth for several minutes, discussing which of their patients they’d be able to provide care for under the state’s six-week abortion ban. So many patients call the clinic in a panic that Diamond and the staffer have dubbed themselves the “C.R.O. Queens” ― “come right over,” they tell any patient who calls. “Every minute counts,” Diamond said.
It’s a dreaded but common part of their daily routine since Florida enacted the extreme six-week restriction on May 1. | 