(CNSNews.com) - A San Diego abortion provider has been ousted from its 6,700 square foot office building because it was "a detriment" to the area, according to The Abbey Company, which owns the property the abortion clinic was leasing.

Edward Allred owns California's largest abortion clinic chain, The Family Planning Associates (FPA).

The clinic had leased office space in the La Mesa, Calif., medical building for the last 15 years, but FPA's lease expired April 30.

A pro-life group in the area is claiming victory as the clinic will have to find a new home for its offices.

"Baby-killing is always bad for business and we applaud the courage it took to make this corporate decision. They will find that they will be better off without a killing center in their building," Troy Newman, director of Operation Rescue West (ORW), said. "We pray God will bless them abundantly and fill the space with a tenant that will respect and cherish life."

Newman said his group has been responsible for the closings of ten other abortion clinics in the San Diego area by using "peaceful, nonviolent, direct action."

The announcement that The Abbey Company would not renew the FPA's lease came from a letter written by the regional manager of the landlord to pro-life activist Cheryl Sullenger.

"My company has come to the conclusion that having Family Planning as a tenant is a detriment to the project," Nancy Eagle, regional manager of The Abbey Company, wrote.

"Our decision not to renew the lease with Family Planning was not arrived at lightly. We are terminating a lease with an excellent paying tenant who has almost 6,700 square feet of space in the building. We are not only going to incur a large vacancy, but we could potentially lose a great deal of rental income," she wrote.

Newman said it was "unquestionable" that his group's efforts led to the decision by The Abbey Company not to renew FPA's lease. He said no relationship exists between his group and The Abbey Company. In fact, Newman said, Abbey officials contacted his group with a request to stop protesting the abortion clinic. When Operation Rescue West refused, Abbey officials turned to their other option, letting the FPA's lease expire.

The larger problem, Newman said, is that the FPA will not evacuate the property. He said the clinic remained occupied Thursday morning and the tenants were not paying rent.

CNSNews.com confirmed that the offices were still occupied by FPA, but normal business operations were not in effect. The La Mesa FPA office declined any comment. A woman who answered the telephone said, "We do not have any comment for the press."

Numerous calls to the administration offices of FPA were placed Thursday, but no calls were returned.

"It's interesting that the very people who accuse us of breaking the law and only obeying the laws we want to, they're the one's who are truly breaking the law and only using it when it benefits them," Newman said of FPA refusing to vacate the property.

"When you begin to expose what abortion is in the community ... you begin to make abortion unthinkable," Newman concluded.

Sullenger, who received the letter from The Abbey Company, said abortion clinics are unsuitable tenants. "There is a certain stigma that follows an abortion mill into a building. I think most property managers also realize that large demonstrations come with the lease and they certainly don't want that," she said.

The Abbey Company did not return phones calls from CNSNews.com Thursday.

E-mail a news tip to Matt Pyeatt.

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