Posted on 06/15/2006 12:49:38 PM PDT by Mrs. Don-o
MONTGOMERY, Ala. - A Birmingham abortion clinic has surrendered its license amid allegations that a woman delivered a nearly full-term stillborn baby after a clinic staffer gave her an abortion-inducing drug and performed other medical treatments without a doctor present, health officials said Wednesday.
The Alabama Department of Health issued a suspension order against Summit Medical Center on May 17, citing numerous violations of state health rules. The center has been closed since it was shutdown the next day and will not reopen, said Rick Harris, director of the state health agency's bureau of provider standards.
Wednesday's move avoids a June 20 hearing where the state would have presented its case against the center and sought to revoke Summit's license.
"We got the same remedy we were trying to get in the hearing," Harris said.
State health officials say in February a Summit staff member, rather than a doctor, performed an ultrasound on a woman seeking an abortion and determined she was six weeks pregnant, even though she was nearly full term. The nurse practitioner, rather than the doctor, gave the woman the RU 486 abortion drug even though the woman's blood pressure was dangerously high.
The state health department said in a report that the woman went to a hospital emergency room six days later with the head of a baby protruding and "delivered a stillborn, macerated, foul smelling, six pound, four ounce baby."
Cheryl Sabel, acting president of the Montgomery chapter of the National Organization for Women, said the allegations against the clinic were "shocking and dismaying" and the closure is a setback for women in Alabama, where there are now just nine abortion clinics.
"Every time a women's health clinic closes, it is a huge blow for women and it's very unfortunate," she said. "But women must be protected and there are standards as there are for every health care facility and every facility needs to abide by the rules."
Attorney General Troy King and the Alabama Board of Medical Examiners have opened investigations into the clinic, which could face criminal charges.
King's assistant, Chris Bence, said information that King had subpoenaed on the clinic arrived at the office on June 8, but could not comment further.
The medical examiners board has banned Dr. Deborah Lyn Levich and nurse practitioner Janet F. Onthank King from working together and accuse Levich of allowing her nurse practitioner to prescribe drugs and render services for which she was not approved.
A search of Levich's name Wednesday on the medical examiners Web site listed her license status as "active." Board director Larry Dixon could not be reached for comment and calls to a lawyer who has represented Summit were not returned Wednesday.
Levich is scheduled to appear at a hearing before the board on July 18.
In December 2004 the Medical Licensure Commission of Alabama indefinitely suspended the license of Dr. Malachy DeHenre, who also worked at the Summit clinic located on Birmingham's Southside.
The commission ruled DeHenre's conduct in four cases between 2000 and 2003 was "immoral, unprofessional or dishonorable," and he endangered his patients through "gross malpractice." Two of the cases were in Alabama and two were in Mississippi.
Records show Malachy's Alabama license expired on Dec. 31, 2004.
Harris said his department has not received any recent proven complaints about Summit's other Alabama location, Beacon Women's Center in Montgomery. He said the clinics are inspected every two years instead of annually because of a staffing shortage and suspensions are fairly rare.
"It's not something we do every day or every year," he said.
Other than to say, Hallaluja, one less abortion clinic.
Oxymoron if ever there was one.
We saw this on the local news last night and were horrified. How does one confused a 6-week-pregnant woman with a 8-month-pregnant woman? Just completely disgusting. So glad that place is shut down.
ping
...tears....
You have to be some kind of sicko to kill a full-term kid.
As long as they have a license, these inhuman filth will set up shop in a trailer or a tent or anyplace else they can.
Yanking their licenses is the only way to block some of the killing.
A baby is a fetus that the mother wants.
It must be nice to be a pregnant woman..who else has the power of life and death at their fingertips?
Talk about irony!
I wonder how this "mother" feels now?
Malachy will just move to Florida or NY ,, medical licenses are granted by the states ,, this just increases the price other clinics in that area will be able to charge.
I mean it's just a "choice" right? Just a tissue mass like a wart or something, right?...........
:'(
Mommy wanted baby dead. She got what she wanted. Now she can have sex again with out the bother of baby. Hope her next abortionist is more clever. /sarcasm
In a perfect universe, these baby killing SOBs will one day find themselves facing eternal justice, in the form of a choice: (since they are all so pro-choice, right?)
Choice #1 - they can try to justify their murderous actions by going before Almighty God Himself to argue their case, although they are guaranteed to be found guilty, if indeed they have committed the crimes of which they are accused.
Choice #2 - they can choose "Door Number Two" (where ARE you Monty Hall?), where they will face a "different" judge, a cosmic change of venue if you will.
And as they all clamor for Door Number Two, they will be ushered into a different courtroom, where they will find themselves before a tribunal of black robed judges, all of them the very babies, now fully intellectually mature and grown into the adults they might have been, before they murdered by the defendants back on this Earth.
Let the thousands of sphincter muscles belonging to the accused spasm uncontrollably.
Good. One less butcher shop in Alabama.
I hope the mother is haunted in her dreams for the rest of her life by the image of her dead baby's head protruding from her body.
This Clinic Is Closed.
Summit
Medical
Center Birmingham Relinquishes License To State Officials In High Profile Case. Activist Calls for Further Action.
Jim Pinto, Founder: Sanctity of Life Ministries and Pastoral Associate: Priests for Life.
205.447.8796; 205.918.0082 or email
jpinto@sanctityoflifeministries.org
www.sanctityoflifeministries.org
Birmingham, AL. June 14: Jim Pinto, Founder of Sanctity of Life Ministries and Pastoral Associate with Priests for Life and Her Choice Birmingham, and Pro-life activist for over 26 years in
Birmingham made the following statement regarding
Summit ’s relinquishing of its license before the revocation hearing date set for, June 22 nd.
The Alabama De
partment of Public Health recently suspended Summits License due to gross malpractice. A woman was told she was 6 weeks pregnant, given RU486-chemical abortion, by a non physician, while her blood pressure was dangerously high. We next hear of this woman "presented to the emergency room of a Birmingham hospital with the head of a baby protruding. While at the hospital (she) delivered a stillborn, macerated, six pound, four ounce baby."
While we commend the Alabama Dept. of Health for its intervention in this case and rejoice that this place of death to babies and danger to women is closed, there is more work that needs to be done:
-I call upon all Christians and people of good will to lament the brutal death of this precious child and the thousands who have suffered a similar end in this mill. I ask us all to offer to this woman, and all like her, the post-abortion healing and charity she needs. We also make known to woman in Crisis pregnancy that the resources and support you need are here for you-You are not alone!
-I am inviting all people of good will to join me for a service of "Re-memberance, Celebration, and Commitment to Establish a Culture of Life" on Wednesday, June 21, 11:45 A.M. at the now closed, Summit Medical Center 1801 14th Avenue South, Birmingham, Alabama 35205.
-The Physician/Abortionist and Nurse who oversaw this malpractice and murder of this full term human being should be further investigated and have their licenses to practice medicine revoked immediately by the Board of Medical Licensure. We also offer to them the mercy and healing that God desires for them.
-We call upon the District Attorney, Tenth Judicial Circuit of Alabama, David Barber, to investigate criminal charges in the killing of a full term baby which is in direct violation of our Fetal Viability Law, not to mention the Moral Law. The records of the Summit should be handed over to the proper authorities for further investigation into violation of laws, malpractice, and abortion injuries.
-We call upon the A.D.P.H. and other responsible State officials to investigate immediately any charges brought against Alabama Abortion Clinics who are violating State laws and medical standards that these Clinics are charged to maintain.
-I express gratitude to Christians throughout the Country who prayed and contacted the authorities in Alabama.
Jim Pinto's ministry on behalf of the Gospel of Life is rooted in Birmingham, Alabama and extends throughout the United States.
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