.Best Local Abortion Provider

With the closing of the nonprofit Women’s Choice Center in 2009, the loss of Planned Parenthood Golden Gate’s affiliation in 2011, and the closure of the last of Choice Medical Group’s Bay Area clinics recently, the need for abortion services in the East Bay remains critical. Located in the Jack London district, the independently operated Family Planning Specialists is one of only three places in the East Bay that offers surgical abortions (most only offer the abortion pill) and the only local clinic that gives patients the option of general anesthesia. The staff focuses on compassionate and nonjudgmental care — and that care extends beyond the perimeter of the clinic. The executive director has been actively working with the Oakland City Council for years to establish and uphold a bubble ordinance that protects patients from protestors. Family Planning Specialists is a safe refuge — and hopefully it’ll remain that way for years to come.