From the beginning, when the Supreme Court struck down abortion rights in the U.S. in June, the small Planned Parenthood clinic in Bend has been a focal point for the volatile issue. Because it is the only clinic east of the Cascades still offering abortions, it was expected to attract an influx of patients — especially from Idaho — as well as anti-abortion activists.

The patients have come, said Kristi Scdoris, Planned Parenthood Columbia Willamette director of marketing and communications. But so far, it’s been quiet outside the NE Division Street clinic.

Bend Police say they have no plan to increase security based on a perceived threat, and the FBI would only say it is in “constant communication” with local law enforcement officials.

Bend Mayor Pro-Tem Anthony Broadman said the city welcomes women who need access to abortion, noting that the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade put Bend “on the front line for women’s right to choose.”

“I see this community having an obligation to make sure women can get safe and reliable access to abortions and take that responsibility really seriously,” he said. At this point, it is unclear what the anticipated influx patients will look like, and if more women coming to town seeking abortions will attract protesters.

One reason is that anti-abortion groups like the Church of Planned Parenthood are no longer announcing when and where their rallies are being held, said its founder, Pastor Ken Peters. At a recent rally in Everett, Washington, members of the church were scared when antifa, left-wing anti-fascist political supporters, showed up, Peters said.

“I don’t think there’s something going on this weekend in Bend, but I couldn’t tell you if there was,” Peters said Friday. “We only go stealth in Oregon and now in Seattle, too. It’s getting rough out there. It’s too dangerous for our members who bring families and their kids. We do everything undercover now.”

The Bend clinic has hired additional staff to handle patients from Eastern Oregon and outside the state, Scdoris said. Out-of-state demand is expected because on Thursday, Idaho became the eighth state to enforce a so-called trigger ban on abortions immediately after the Supreme Court ruling on June 24.

“We anticipate an overall increase,” said Scdoris. “It’s not been an overwhelming increase. It’s hard to predict what it will look like. We’re in unchartered waters.”

Scdoris would not say if security has been beefed up at the clinic. But Planned Parenthood works with a security organization to oversee all local activity, and nationally, the organization monitors protest activity, Scdoris said.

Sheila Miller, spokesperson for Bend Police, said officers will respond if there are reported crimes or calls for service related to the Planned Parenthood clinic in Bend. Miller said the department does not have any specific plans in place if a protest, or similar event, takes place near the clinic, and the department is unaware of any planned events in the near future.

“I haven’t seen any calls for service from Planned Parenthood,” Miller said. “If they receive a credible report of a threat, they should report that to the Bend Police Department.”

Joy Jiras, public affairs specialist at the FBI’s Portland Office, said in an email that the FBI cannot comment on specific relationships, and will continue to work with federal, state and local law enforcement to ensure community safety, while respecting the First Amendment right to a peaceful protest.

“Our focus remains on protecting peaceful protesters from those threatening their safety with violence,” Jiras said. “FBI personnel are assessing intelligence to detect potential threats of violence and are in constant communication with our partners.”

Bend City Councilor Barb Campbell said since the day Roe v. Wade was overturned, she has been strategizing on how to best connect women seeking abortion services in Bend with a safe and affordable place to stay.

“It is very important to me that we are a place where women can access safe, legal abortions when they and their family and their doctor have decided that is the right choice for them,” Campbell said. “This is a place where abortion is safe and legal, and I am proud of that fact.”

Campbell said one idea she plans to bring up at the Bend City Council’s first work session in September is to update the Visit Bend website with information on travel and accommodations to assist women coming to town seeking abortion services.

“Another idea I have heard from the community is connecting people with free or low cost accommodation and that would literally be person to person,” Campbell said. “Something more like a group home… maybe there is an opportunity to create something like that.”

In July, Sen. Ron Wyden visited the Planned Parenthood clinic in Bend and told members of the public his focus is on protecting abortion providers in Oregon from prosecution in other states. He said other top priorities are to protect medication abortions, which account for over half of all abortions, and to protect women from having personal data collected from online applications, such as period trackers, from being taken or weaponized against them.

He also opposes so-called trigger bans, laws that banned abortion immediately after the court’s ruling in 13 states.

“Senator Wyden certainly has heard from Oregonians this summer in Bend and Redmond…about the Supreme Court’s wrong and horrific decision on abortion rights,” said Hank Stern, a Wyden spokesperson, in an email. “He is grateful abortion is legal in Oregon, and remains confident the dedicated staff at Planned Parenthood will make sure anybody needing this essential non-profit’s topnotch healthcare services will continue being able to do so safely.”

In 2019, the Bend clinic had 15,772 patient visits, compared to 6,767 in 2020. The lower number in 2020 was due largely to COVID-19 and related restrictions.

Nationwide, in 2019 there were 625,346 abortions reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention from specific reporting locations continuously from 2010 to 2019. The abortion rate was 11.4 abortions per 1,000 women aged 15-44 years, and the abortion ratio was 195 abortions per 1,000 live births, according to CDC data.

Bend is the only Planned Parenthood clinic that offers reproductive health services including abortions, east of the Cascades. Planned Parenthood is working on building a new location in Ontario, but a contractor has not been selected yet to retrofit an existing building, Scdoris said.

Once built, the Ontario clinic will provide reproductive health services that include abortion care, Scdoris said.