Allentown abortion clinic's registration revoked by Pennsylvania Health Department

Express-Times ^ | April 11, 2012 | Andrew George

[JerseyanExile]

An Allentown abortion clinic with connections to a controversial New Jersey abortion doctor has been ordered to close by the Pennsylvania Department of Health.

Allentown Medical Services at 2200 Hamilton Street, Suite 200, had its registration revoked Tuesday night due to an "infrastructure failure" caused by the clinic's landlord, David A. Klein Real Estate, locking the tenant out of the facility, according to the department's letter to the abortion provider.

The clinic's lease expired March 31 and has not been renewed.

Bridget Wilson, a spokeswoman for American Women's Services, said the group is looking to re-establish a clinic in the Allentown area.

"We are not closing permanently and will reopen when we find a new location," said Wilson. "We are in the process of finding a new location and will remain in Allentown or the surrounding areas."

The clinic's founder, Dr. Steven Brigham, had murder charges against him dropped last month. He was charged under a Maryland law that gives prosecutors the ability to seek murder charges for the death of a viable fetus. He faced trial alongside another doctor, Nicola Riley, of Salt Lake City.

Brigham owns American Women's Services, which still operates an abortion facility in Phillipsburg. He lost his New Jersey medical license in 2010 after it was discovered he was arranging second- and third-trimester abortions in New Jersey then having patients travel to Maryland the following day to complete them.

Allentown Medical Services is owned and operated by Rose Health Services Co., but its latest registration application was filed in Brigham's name, said Pennsylvania Department of Health spokeswoman Christine Cronkright.

The department mandates that registrations are site-specific and therefore registered clinics must administer abortions at the location listed. Registrations are not transferable.

"Based on the fact that AMS no longer has a physical facility in which to offer abortion services to patients, the Department of Health hereby revokes AMS' registration to operate a free-standing abortion facility at 2200 Hamilton St.," wrote Anna Marie Sossong, the department's deputy secretary for quality assurance, in a letter Tuesday to Brigham.

Cronkright said the facility was ordered to close April 2 after a department site visit revealed the clinic's lease had expired. By April 5, however, a new registration application had been filed and the clinic was considered reopened.

After additional review yielded further alleged examples of misconduct, Cronkright said the registration was revoked and the clinic was officially ordered to close Tuesday.

"In addition, I would note that the Department of Health long has witnessed a chronic inability by AMS to comply with the most fundamental statutory and regulatory requirements," Sossong wrote. "These recent events have shown that AMS is unwilling or unable to comply even with the most basic requirements of the law established and designed to assure the health and safety of the patients."

Maria Gallagher, legislative director for the Pennsylvania Pro-Life Federation, called the clinic's closing "long overdue."

"It's terrible that this abortion center was allowed to continue in operation for so long but we are very happy that it's shut its doors," Gallagher said.

A call placed to David A. Klein Real Estate was not immediately returned.

[FormerACLUmember]

The truth be told, abortion mills are filthy hellholes that do not pass basic public health and cleanliness inspections.

The Emergency Rooms near baby murder factories are the dumping grounds for an endless parade of butchered cases.

[Salvation]

Keep praying everyone' prayer shuts down these killing houses.

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