The board of the Madison Surgery Center unanimously approved an abortion clinic on Friday, meaning second-trimester abortions will be offered there within a few months.

The facility, at 1 S. Park St., will provide abortions primarily to women 19 to 22 weeks pregnant.

The service will replace the practice of Dr. Dennis Christensen, who had performed abortions up to 22 weeks at a Planned Parenthood clinic in Madison until he retired in December. Planned Parenthood will still do abortions up to 19 weeks.

Peggy Hamill, state director of Pro-Life Wisconsin, repeated earlier calls for a boycott of the facility and said protests will continue.

"There will be an active presence outside of the clinic that we anticipate will only increase," she said.

Lisa Subeck, executive director of NARAL Pro-Choice Wisconsin, said second-trimester abortions are rare but the service is necessary.

"They stood up for the community and for women," she said.

The surgery center is owned by UW Hospital, the university's doctor group and Meriter Hospital. Boards of those organizations recently approved the plan, despite protests and petitions from opponents. Friday's vote by the surgery center board was 6-0.

Milwaukee is the nearest place where abortions after 19 weeks are currently performed.

Dr. Laurel Rice, chairwoman of obstetrics and gynecology at the university, told the UW Hospital board on Wednesday that abortions after 19 weeks should be available in Madison because fetal defects, women's health risks and socioeconomic factors can delay decisions for abortions.

Opponents, including Dr. Nancy Fredericks, an anesthesiologist at the surgery center, said the service would tarnish the reputation of the surgery center.

Fredericks said three of four anesthesiologists at the surgery center will refuse to take part in abortions. Brunette said the volume of procedures — about 125 abortions a year are expected — is low enough that staffing will be adequate.

Anti-abortion groups also said the clinic could violate laws against the use of government money for abortions. UW officials said no state funding will be used for the abortions, though the doctors' salaries include state money.

Matt Bowman, an attorney with the Alliance Defense Fund, an Arizona-based Christian group, said the group would "pursue legal action" if state funding was used inappropriately or if workers were forced to participate in abortions against their will.

Susan Armacost, legislative director of Wisconsin Right to Life, said second-trimester abortions are grueling for medical staff. She said workers will leave the surgery center and vowed to carry out public education campaigns.

"We're not going to just sit back and allow this to continue," she said. "We're going to go to the public on this and get them to understand what is being done at a UW affiliate."

Chris Taylor, legislative director of Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin, said the medical organizations realized they needed to address an important women's health issue.

"They really stood up for women and resisted a lot of pressure," she said. "We're very pleased and proud to be a part of a community where we have health-care professionals and health-care entities that came together to address a serious need."

About 9 percent of Wisconsin's 8,267 abortions in 2007 were done after 16 weeks, with 3 percent after 20 weeks.