New York and Abortion

 

Shades of Kermit Gosnell: New York abortion clinics less regulated than tanning salons

By Dave Andrusko
Based on documents secured through a freedom of information request by the Chiaroscuro Foundation, the New York Post today reported that of the 225 abortion providers operating in New York, only 17 clinics were inspected over 13 years.
“By comparison, city eateries are inspected every year and graded, while a new law requires tanning salons to undergo inspections at least once every other year,” the Post Carl Campanile reported.
The New York State Department of Health told the Post that the agency had only taken legal action against one abortion clinic in all that time.
“Health inspectors regulate 25 diagnostic and treatment clinics and surgery centers that provide abortion services — though pro-choice advocates say there are 225 abortion service providers in New York state,” Campanile reported. He went on to explain

“Eight of the 25 clinics were never inspected over the 2000-12 span, five were inspected just once, and eight were inspected only twice or three times — meaning once every four or six years.

“A total of just 45 inspections were conducted at all 25 facilities during the 12-year period.

Referring to convicted murderer/abortionist Kermit Gosnell, Greg Pfundstein, president of the Chiaroscuro Foundation, explained why his organization had made their request of the New York State Department of Health.

“As we learned about the house of horrors he ran in Philadelphia, and as it came out that the state of Pennsylvania had made a political decision to stop inspecting abortion clinics, we began to wonder whether any inspections were being done in New York. We are encouraged to know that some inspection is done in New York, but we can’t say on the basis of what the State has done over the last 13 years that anyone should be confident there is not a Kermit Gosnell at work somewhere in New York.”

“There have been 1,145,261 abortions reported in New York City alone since 2000, during which time the Department of Health executed only 45 inspections,” the Chiaroscuro Foundation explained in a statement released this morning.
According to the Philadelphia Grand Jury report, it was precisely because Gosnell’s Women’s Society Medical clinic went uninspected for over 15 years that he was able to abort hundreds of viable unborn babies and then kill them by slitting their spinal cords.
Gosnell was also convicted of one count of involuntary manslaughter in the death of a 49-year-old woman. The Grand Jury was convicted another woman died at his West Philadelphia abortion clinic but there were no records.

In a letter to the Post, Health Department records-access official Elizabeth Sullivan offered this explanation why other abortion providers are not inspected.
“Some facilities are not required to have ‘abortion services’ in their operating certificates in order to perform abortions,” she said adding, “The Department does not otherwise maintain a list of every Article 28 facility that performs abortions.”

According to Campanile, the Health Department refused further comment.
“New York has one of the highest abortion rates in the country. More oversight is needed,” Pfundstein told the Post. “Abortion clinics are as much a public concern as tanning salons. There should be regular inspections of all licensed abortion clinics.

“Right now, New York is only inspecting a fraction of abortion providers, and only very rarely.”

Source: NRLC News