In September, it was discovered that Dr. Cesare Santangelo of the Washington-Surgi Clinic had stopped booking appointments until at least the end of the month.
Santangelo has had numerous complaints filed against him for years — most notably that he performed late-term abortions — and it was recently learned that he is in poor health.
As of early October, Kristin Dorsey of the Survivors of the Abortion Holocaust said that appointments have not resumed, but it is still unknown whether his practice is closing permanently.
"We've been calling them every day. They either don't respond, their phone lines close, or they are like, nope, we're not doing any appointments yet," Dorsey told Newsmax when asked about the current status of Santangelo's practice.
Dorsey and her boss, Tim Clement, were able to speak with Santangelo's great-nephew, Stephen Bailey, a real-estate agent in Florida, who said he didn't support what his great uncle was doing.
Bailey also insisted, according to Dorsey, that Santangelo's wife, Sarah, and practically his entire family were not supportive of his practice.
He added that his great uncle now has neuropathy and needs a caregiver.
On Sept. 29, both members of the pro-life groups, Survivors of the Abortion Holocaust and 40 Days for Life, gathered outside the Planned Parenthood – Carol Whitehill Moses Center to mark the start of the Fall campaign of 40 Days for Life.
The organization, which has a presence in over 60 countries with the mission of praying outside abortion clinics for 40 full days in the Spring, and 40 full days in the Fall, is dedicated to showing and explaining to women that abortion is not the only option for unwanted pregnancies.
Several speeches were made by pro-life advocates, including Dorsey and Dr. Michael New of The Catholic University of America.
Dorsey said in her speech that even in the wake of Turning Point founder Charlie Kirk's assassination at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah, in September, pro-lifers should not be afraid to continue their advocacy.
She also said that no appointments have been made at Santangelo's practice since the beginning of August.
Dorsey further stated later that he had not been seen at the clinic since mid-July. And many have wondered if his clinic administrator, named Maria, was performing abortions when Santangelo could not.
"My friend Joan Andrews Bell, who is a longtime rescuer, as well as my friend Herb Garrity, were both violently beaten and stabbed with a broom end by Maria for non-violently entering the facility where they believe federal crimes were taking place," Dorsey said.
One federal crime that was believed to have been committed was partial birth abortion, which is federally prohibited, and assumed to have taken place due to the wound patterns of the aborted fetuses found.
Maria has also been accused of throwing back the Book of John from the Bible when someone attempted to give it to Santangelo.
One man was reportedly not allowed to see his dead child or give a funeral for his child, because Santangelo's practice refused to give him the body.
His wife did not survive, but he was able to see her again.
Although the future of Santangelo's practice is uncertain, Dorsey believes that if more pressure is put on investigating the Washington-Surgi Clinic and the longer it is closed, there will be no choice but to shut him down.
His medical license could also be at risk if he is held accountable and cannot physically perform the procedures.
Dorsey said that the D.C. Department of Health confirmed that the Washington-Surgi clinic failed to renew its license on Aug. 10, and that no appointments have been taken since then.
According to Dorsey, eyewitnesses have reported that appointments were not being made even earlier than that.
As of Oct. 29, Dorsey stated that, when outside the Washington-Surgi Clinic, the security guard said on camera that no staff had gone to the clinic in two months, and Dorsey was allowed upstairs.
When Dorsey tries to call the clinic, they have closed earlier and earlier and now don't even pick up the phone.
While it is still unknown if the Washington-Surgi Clinic is closing permanently, the longer it stays closed, the more likely it will stay closed. Only time will tell.
John Gizzi is chief political columnist and White House correspondent for Newsmax. For more of his reports, Go Here Now.
Mary Barnes is assistant to Gizzi in the Washington, D.C., Newsmax Bureau
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