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Divided town becomes flashpoint in US abortion debate
Bristol, a community of 44,000 straddling the Virginia-Tennessee border, has become a battleground over abortion access since the 2022 Supreme Court ruling that returned regulatory power to states. While Tennessee enforces a near-total ban, Virginia permits the procedure, making Bristol's sole abortion clinic a critical resource for Southern patients.
Clinic faces eviction after legal challenges
Bristol Women's Health, the town's only abortion provider, will appear in court on December 22 to contest an eviction notice issued by its landlords, brothers Chase and Chadwick King, in April 2024. The clinic's attorneys argue it holds the right to renew its lease for six additional years. A prior attempt by the landlords to remove the clinic-alleging fraud over its abortion services-was dismissed in September 2024, with Judge Sage Johnson ruling the brothers could have easily discovered the clinic's services via a basic online search.
Clinic owner Diana Derzis declined to comment ahead of the hearing but previously stated her intent to keep the facility in Bristol, despite limited alternative locations in the area.
Local and national groups escalate pressure
Anti-abortion activists have targeted Bristol due to its unique political geography-a conservative enclave in a state where abortion remains legal. Victoria Cobb, director of the Family Foundation, a lobbying group, described the town as the "epicenter of the debate" and has pushed local bylaws to restrict clinic operations. One proposed ordinance sought to block new clinics or expansions, arguing that abortion endangers "unborn life." The city ultimately declined to intervene, citing jurisdictional limits.
Texas pastor Mark Lee Dickson has since filed an ordinance invoking the 1873 Comstock Act, which bans mailing materials related to abortion. Similar measures have shuttered clinics in other states, including Texas. Dickson remains optimistic, telling the BBC, "A local government's rejection doesn't mean the initiative is dead."
Access at stake for Southern patients
Barbara Schwartz, co-founder of the State Line Abortion Access Partnership (SLAAP), warned that evicting the clinic would deal a severe blow to regional access. Data from the Guttmacher Institute shows 155,000 patients crossed state lines for abortions in 2024, with over 9,200 traveling to Virginia. Bristol's location makes it the closest legal provider for millions in the South.
"It's like whack-a-mole. As soon as one approach fails, anti-abortion groups pop up with another."
Barbara Schwartz, SLAAP co-founder
Schwartz added that activists target Bristol to exploit its "red part of a blue state" status, aiming to weaken Virginia's broader protections.
Opponents vow to persist
Even if the clinic prevails in court, Dickson pledged continued efforts, stating, "As long as the cries of unborn babies are silenced in Bristol, we will push the City Council to protect unborn Bristolians." The hearing's outcome may set a precedent for similar battles nationwide.
