Planned Parenthood has become a corrupt big business posing as the face of women’s health and abortion rights. If you still support Planned Parenthood, you have not done your research. People you trust have told you that investigations, or even inspections, are politically motivated and you must look the other way. But the health of women demands our scrutiny, and it doesn’t take much looking to realize how dangerous and bad Planned Parenthood is for women.
It is difficult to summarize the violations found in every Planned Parenthood in every state that actually inspects clinics (some don’t!) As a physician I am appalled by each violation, and certain that if Planned Parenthood were a doctor it would have lost its license long ago due to its “back alley” level low standards. Here are three examples of the most recent inspections of Ohio’s Planned Parenthood clinics.
Bedford Heights– Planned Parenthood: in July, 2014 inspectors found 22 pages of violations including open drug vials, expired drugs and solutions, full urine cups in a cupboard and in the bathroom left for days and never tested, use of expired chemicals and test strips, an unwrapped and extended condom was found in one of the exam table drawers, the freezer that contained aborted baby remains was unmonitored for temperature as required, failure to adhere to standard infection control protocols, failure to conduct competency reviews for abortionists or to employ an experienced Director of Nursing as required, failure to send medical records with a patient transported to the hospital, while medical records for two patients hospitalized after medical emergencies were incomplete and lacked critical information, and a complaint hotline was not posted. http://abortiondocs.org/clinic/surgical/533/bedford-heights-bedford-health-center-planned-parenthood-northeast-ohio/
East Columbus Women’s Center – Planned Parenthood (AKA Central Ohio Women’s Center) Inspectors took a random sampling of medical records and discovered 21 abortion complications, which was by far the most of all Ohio abortion facilities. In April 11, 2013. Planned Parenthood failed an inspection with violations including failure to document the time oral medications were given to six patients, failure to document the time and dosage for IV push medications for one patient, 3,350 doses of controlled drugs, including narcotics were not locked properly, failure to label multi-dose vials and medication syringes, 23 bottles of expired antibiotics, failure to clean an oral suction machine, no TB test done on one employee as required, and patients discharged with nobody accompanying them and no notations as to why that was allowed. http://abortiondocs.org/clinic/surgical/538/
When Planned Parenthood clinics are in states that don’t inspect, we have to count on whistleblowers to find out what goes on behind their closed doors. A Delaware Panned Parenthood came under fire in April, 2013, when two nurses quit and reported on the unsafe and unsanitary conditions there. Jayne Mitchell-Werbrich, described how “ridiculously unsafe” and unsanitary it was and that the abortionist failed to wear gloves. Joyce Vasikonis reported that the instruments were not sterilized and operating tables were not cleaned of blood between cases and was very concerned patients could get AIDS or hepatitis. Both nurses said they quit to protect their medical licenses. While an inspection done in response to the allegations didn’t turn up evidence of the unsanitary conditions, 5 botched abortions in 5 weeks led to a temporary closing and change in staff. Three whistleblowers testified before a bipartisan panel of the Delaware state legislature. The two nurses and one former manager said Planned Parenthood officials knew about improper, dangerous “after hours” abortions being performed by abortionist Eric Schaff without any support medical staff. They reported that Planned Parenthood placed patients in grave danger by assigning medical responsibilities to employees with insufficient or no medical credentials and that the abortionist rushed through abortions at a speed that threatened patient safety. They said Planned Parenthood denied the drug RhoGAM to low-income, Rh negative women who need it within the first 72 hours after an abortion to protect future pregnancies from greatly increased risk of stillbirth. The Planned Parenthood ex-employees also told lawmakers that as many as 200 women were not informed of their positive tests for gonorrhea and chlamydia and 87 women were not informed of the results of their colposcopies. You can watch these 3 prochoice women testify here.
Delaware now requires accreditation for abortion clinics, but Planned Parenthood continues to fight against any regulations of its clinics.
Planned Parenthood had assets in excess of 1.4 billion at the end of 2014, so there is no excuse for any of these violations.
Conclusion: Nobody you know should go to one of the clinics described, or any Planned Parenthood clinic as far as my research has informed me, for an abortion, or for “healthcare,” if they can possibly avoid it. We should demand better options.
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