LOUISVILLE, Ky. (KT) — The building that once housed EMW Women’s Surgical Center, Kentucky’s last independent abortion clinic, has been demolished.
The downtown Louisville site was cleared to make way for a planned 27-story hotel. Until construction begins later this year, the space will serve as a temporary 66-space parking lot.
EMW Women’s Surgical Center permanently stopped operating at its 136 West Market Street location in 2022 after Kentucky’s abortion ban took effect following the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. The property was listed for sale in May 2023 and later purchased, along with nearby buildings, by real estate developer Zyyo in November 2024.
The clinic was established in 1981 by four physicians, including Dr. Ernest Marshall and the late Dr. Samuel Eubanks.
EMW’s doctors—many affiliated with the University of Louisville’s department of obstetrics and gynecology—provided abortion services ranging from six weeks to 21 weeks and six days of gestation, using both medication and surgical procedures.
Before updating its website, EMW stated through December 2025 that it had performed more than 100,000 abortions.
The Cabinet for Health and Family Services began publishing abortion data in 2017. From then until its closure in 2022, EMW reported 19,640 procedures, accounting for roughly 92 percent of all recorded abortions in Kentucky. The clinic’s highest annual total came in 2021, with 3,802 reported cases.
Data from 1981 to 2017 is not fully available, as it was not collected by the state health department.
Between 1973—when Roe v. Wade established federal abortion rights—and 2022, a total of 297,052 abortions were reported in Kentucky by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and CHFS. EMW and Planned Parenthood in Louisville both stopped providing abortion services in 2022.
‘Overjoyed to have lived to see it’
Matthew Harper, who previously participated in a sidewalk counseling ministry with Speak For the Unborn (S4U) outside EMW while attending The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, reflected on the demolition.
“The demolition of the EMW abortion facility is an answer to decades of prayer and a testament to God’s faithfulness,” he said.
Harper said the group provided resources to women seeking abortions and encouraged them to consider alternatives. He added that many supporters had long hoped to see the building removed.
“I’m overjoyed to have lived to see it with my own eyes. God does really answer prayer,” Harper said. “Now, the work is just beginning. Christians have been faithfully standing in the gap and offering hope and help for many years, but now more than ever, we need more believers who will rise up and help vulnerable families and moms in crisis situations. When God answers prayer, His people are called to respond with compassionate action.”
Shelly Green, executive director of Right to Life of Louisville, also described the demolition as a significant moment.
“For decades, EMW was a site where countless unborn children lost their lives and where many women experienced deep pain and pressure. Its closure and removal from our city landscape symbolize a turning of the page toward a future where women are supported, families are strengthened, and life is protected at every stage. While the building may be gone, our commitment to walking with women and promoting a culture of life remains as strong as ever.”
Although the physical facility has been removed, related advocacy efforts continue through the Kentucky Reproductive Freedom Fund, founded by Marshall and his wife, Ona, which focuses on education, policy, and expanding access to abortion services.
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