Posted on 05/08/2015 2:43:39 PM PDT by kathsua
The South Carolina Legislative Audit Council has issued a scathing report criticizing the state health department for numerous deficiencies in its inspection of the state’s three freestanding abortion facilities that could “result in serious problems for patients” if the problems are not addressed.
The three free-standing abortion facilities operating in South Carolina are: The Women’s Clinic of Greenville, Planned Parenthood of Columbia, and the Charleston Women’s Medical Center in Charleston.
Discrepancies were noted in the number of abortions performed at one facility and the number reported to the Department of Health and Environmental Control’s Public Health Statistics and Information Services. Over a five year period between 2009 and 2013 the unnamed facility reported 471 fewer abortions than were performed, the report notes.
Among the 30 recommendations for improvement, the audit says the Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) should “conduct annual inspections as required by state law” and post the inspection results on its website. The website should be more user friendly and accurate, the audit says, and provide a toll-free number for reporting complaints against abortion facilities.
The audit calls on the South Carolina General Assembly to amend the state law to require a “pre-abortion ultrasound to determine the gestational age of the fetus for all abortions.”
A nine-page rebuttal by DHEC concludes, “While much of the Report provides helpful input warranting consideration, it does not portray systematic failures by the Department reflecting imminent harm to patient health or safety.”
Representative Garry Smith, R, Greenville, called the Legislative Audit Council report “troubling.” The audit was requested by some members of the S.C. House of Representatives.
“I am very concerned about the under reporting of abortions,” Smith said, “and the failure and seeming lackadaisical attitude of DHEC for their responsibility to inspect these facilities. This report is very troubling.”
CLICK LIKE IF YOU’RE PRO-LIFE!
House Judiciary Chairman Greg Delleney, a strong pro-life proponent, said he has long suspected that DHEC wasn’t enforcing regulations strictly enough. Violators should be fined or prosecuted “to the fullest extent of the law,” Delleney said. “They need to be hammered.”
“I think it’s the culture at DHEC,” Delleney said of the report’s findings. “They don’t think enforcing abortion clinic violations is important. They’ve gotten away with this for way too long.”
southcarolina2
In 1994 the SC Legislature passed the Abortion Clinic Regulation Act after employees of a local abortionist reported he was grinding up the bodies of aborted children in a common sink disposal. The regulations survived a federal court challenge and all but three abortion business closed. At one time there were 14 abortion facilities throughout the state.
The issue is not that clinics are not regulated. The issue is that the regulations are not being fully enforced as mandated by law.
South Carolina Citizens for Life worked for passage of the regulations and 13 other life-protecting laws. Abortions have declined by 58 percent since 1989.
None are so blind as those who do not want to see.
Then when they end up with another horror house (like in Philly) they will all act surprised.
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Because the abortion clinics pay the inspectors not to inspect them?
Aren’t tanning bed places inspected more than infanticide factories?
They’d shut down any conservative group for the most minor technical offenses, however.
The Gosnell clinic here in PA was not inspected for 16 years during the time Republican Tom Ridge and Democrat Ed Rendell controlled the Department of Health because they were the governors and appointed the Health Secretaries.
We passed a new law here in PA after Gosnell’s conviction but last year when we had a Republican governor and GOP controlled Health Department, they backed off when a Planned Parenthood clinic complained about questions concerning abortionist doctors and their admitting privileges at local hospitals.
Now we have a millionaire Democrat and lifelong Planned Parenthood supporter as our governor. Need I say more.
It’s like that here in NC, too. We have a Republican governor, Senate, and House. The health department shut down an abortion mill in Charlotte last year, not for the first time, after years of violations.
It reopened a week later: they filed a paper saying, “We’ll comply now, honest.” Nothing further.
I live in PA too, and know the story all too well. So sad.
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