{"id":203611,"date":"2019-06-03T11:35:39","date_gmt":"2019-06-03T16:35:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.liveaction.org\/news\/?p=203611"},"modified":"2019-09-17T12:24:05","modified_gmt":"2019-09-17T17:24:05","slug":"women-risk-judge-subpar-abortion-indiana-license","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/women-risk-judge-subpar-abortion-indiana-license\/","title":{"rendered":"Women at risk: Judge lets shoddy abortion chain open in Indiana without license"},"content":{"rendered":"
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An abortion facility in Indiana has been granted temporary permission to operate, despite being denied a license by the State’s Department of Health. The order, issued by Federal Court Judge Sarah Evans Barker, allows Whole Woman’s Health Alliance (WWHA) to begin committing medication abortions in South Bend.\u00a0The temporary injunction remains in effect until a new hearing can be held in August of 2020, over a year away<\/em>.<\/p>\n

But Whole Woman’s Health isn’t just any abortion chain;\u00a0it’s a Texas based national chain of abortion facilities, which was founded in 2014 by Amy Hagstrom Miller.\u00a0According to WWHA’s website<\/a>, the abortion facility “is… governed by an\u00a0independent board, and benefits from the expertise of\u00a0Whole Woman\u2019s Health\u00a0[WWH] serving as its management company.”<\/p>\n

“Benefits” and “expertise” are not appropriate terms to use when referring to Whole Woman’s Health, which has a very long history of\u00a0failed health inspections<\/a>, putting women in danger.<\/p>\n

According to\u00a0local media<\/a>, Barker ruled the Indiana Department of Health\u2019s license rejection was a \u201csubstantial obstacle\u201d for women seeking abortion. The South Bend Tribune notes the judge claimed “the state health department\u2019s previous rejection of a license for the clinic violates due process and equal protections,” and that the abortion facility claimed licensing requirements were “arbitrary” and “vague.” The judge claimed the state “stands to lose little” but “women… stand to lose a great deal” if the abortion facility\u00a0doesn’t open.<\/p>\n

In November of 2018, an Indiana State Health Department appeals panel\u00a0denied<\/a> WWHA a license.\u00a0A letter<\/a> from the Indiana Department of Health obtained by Live Action News indicates that INDOH found “discrepancies” in WWHA’s application.<\/p>\n

The Department wrote<\/a> that it received a “revised application from WWHA,” and again requested additional information. But health officials determined that\u00a0WWHA \u201cfailed to disclose, concealed, or omitted information related to additional clinics.\u201d State officials then determined that WWHA had “failed to meet the requirement that the Applicant is of reputable and responsible character and the supporting documentation provided inaccurate statements or information.”<\/p>\n

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Whole Women’s Health Indiana DOH health letter denies license<\/p><\/div>\n

WWHA’s case brief<\/a>\u00a0detailed the state’s reasons for the license denial:<\/p>\n

On October 6, 2017, Whole Woman\u2019s Health submitted its revised application. Fox had immediate concerns, for the application listed Liam Morley as the clinic\u2019s administrator, and Morley had a connection with Dr. Ulrich Klopfer\u2014who recently lost his abortion clinic and medical licenses for serious violations, including failing to exercise reasonable care with patients, failing timely to report abortions on two girls under the age of 14, failing to follow proper sedation practices, failing to keep a log of cleaning procedure rooms, and failing to dispose of expired medications. In addition, shortly after receiving the revised application, the Department received several surveys raising concerns regarding abortion clinics in other States\u2026<\/em><\/p>\n

The particular violations at issue involved Texas clinics that Miller controlled and that used the name \u201cWhole Woman\u2019s Health\u201d and included: (1) failing to account for medications, (2) failing to ensure proper sterilization of instruments, (3) failing to provide hospital contact information, (4) failing to schedule required follow-up appointments, (5) failing to evaluate employee performance, (6) failing to properly store hazardous cleaning solutions, (7) failing to provide a sanitary environment, (8) failing to train staff in sterilizing instruments, (9) failing to staff clinics with registered or licensed nurses, (10) failing to follow policy for fire and disaster drills, (11) failing to keep current emergency medication, and (12) failing to train staff in CPR.<\/em><\/p>\n

The court document<\/a> included findings from health inspections at Whole Woman’s Health facilities in Texas:<\/p>\n