CARLSBAD —- Planned Parenthood's new Isabella Center exists in part because of a terrible experience that 74-year-old Elisabeth "Jinx" Ecke can't erase from her memory.

More than 50 years ago when Ecke was a college student at San Diego State University, she accompanied a high school friend on a trip to Escondido to obtain an abortion —— an illegal surgical procedure in those days.

"She very nearly bled to death that night," Ecke said as she recalled the fear she felt as the blood poured from her friend's body. "I was a sophomore in college, and it was a horrible, horrible experience."

Speaking privately after Thursday's dedication for the new Carlsbad Planned Parenthood center, Ecke said the experience made her a life-long supporter of women's reproductive rights. Ultimately, it helped make the new center at 1820 Marron Road a reality. Ecke and her three children —— Paul Ecke III, Lizbeth Ecke and Sara Ecke May —- donated $250,000 of the $340,000 needed to renovate the structure where the clinic is now housed.

On Thursday, the clinic's leaders honored the family —— leaders of the region's flower-growing industry —— at a catered reception. Among the some 40 attendees were many women old enough to remember the days when abortion was illegal. Some said they now feel more driven than ever to support the cause.

"I think choice for women is the most important thing, and choice for women is in jeopardy today," said Joan Goott, a Del Mar resident who said she's long been a Planned Parenthood supporter.

Key among their concerns is the recent nomination of Samuel Alito to the Supreme Court. Years ago in a job application, Alito indicated that he would like to see the court overturn the 1973 landmark Roe v. Wade decision establishing abortion rights.

Ecke said she isn't surprised to see religious right's opposition to Roe v. Wade gaining strength, saying she started warning friends that this might happen decades ago. Her son said she's always been a fervent supporter of unpopular causes —— once a leader in the Republicans for Choice movement, Ecke now declines to state a political party preference. She's taught her children that they must help others in their community regardless of the popularity of their causes, her son Paul added.

"I think that's a lesson we learned —— you don't give back because you should, but because you must," he said. "I think that's especially important when you've got causes that are unpopular."

Opposition to the new center is evident nearly every Friday when a small gathering of protesters aims several-foot-high signs with graphic abortion-related photographs at passing cars.

"It's kind of bothersome to drive by them —— it's almost every single Friday," said Geri Hughes, an employee at Household Financial next door to the clinic.

But, Thursday night, clinic officials were in a celebratory mood. Their new facility next to the Westfield Shoppingtown's Plaza Camino Real mall is nearly 1,200 square feet larger than their old clinic in south Oceanside. It has five exam rooms, five offices, a lab, a lunchroom and two counseling rooms.

Instead of serving 25 people a day, it can take up to 50, clinic manager Jeanette Redden said.

That's important because of the regional demand for the center's services, said Keith Limberg, vice president of development for Planned Parenthood of San Diego and Riverside Counties.

"Our North County site was one of our most difficult locations because it would take three months to get in (for an appointment)," he said.

The new clinic, which opened this summer, offers birth control, emergency contraception, pregnancy testing, abortions, gynecological exams, vasectomies, and testing and treatment for sexually transmitted diseases.

While people who oppose abortion regularly picket the clinic, clinic officials stress that the procedure is only a small part of the work they do. Less than 10 percent of their business is abortions, they said.

Contact staff writer Barbara Henry at (760) 901-4072 or bhenry@nctimes.com.