By: Dan Bartkowiak (Appeared in The Lock Haven Express – 4/26/13)
As the topic of abortion has been highlighted in recent weeks with the trial of Kermit Gosnell, not only are we hearing about the atrocities of his former clinic but we’re also discovering what’s been happening in the abortion industry; specifically with Planned Parenthood – the largest abortion provider in the country.
Gosnell’s clinic has been described as a “House of Horrors.” Planned Parenthood of Delaware – just 30 miles away from Gosnell’s clinic – earlier this month was described as a “meat-market abortion facility.” Former nurses have said of this Planned Parenthood facility that it is “ridiculously unsafe” and had at least five 911 calls from the clinic during a 5-week span.
Planned Parenthood also has a direct connection to the Gosnell horrors. Planned Parenthood Southeast Pennsylvania president Dayle Steinberg recently said, in regards to Gosnell patients coming to her clinics and seeking help, “we would always encourage them to report it to the Department of Health.”
Multiple women – according to Steinberg – came into Planned Parenthood, told them what happened at Gosnell’s clinic and Planned Parenthood’s action was to simply tell them to report it to the state. Multiple opportunities for Planned Parenthood to make sure Gosnell was stopped – and they failed to do so.
Sadly there are many to blame in the oversight of Gosnell’s clinic – especially the Department of Health and other state agencies. But Planned Parenthood is also at fault.
Planned Parenthood certainly was aware of Gosnell – not just from patients but because his practice was a business competitor. Gosnell offered discounts for Medicaid and cash payments – placing the cost less than the advertised price at Planned Parenthood. And Gosnell was a far less expensive option for abortion procedures on women beyond 18 weeks as compared with other regional clinics.
Most Planned Parenthood clinics do not offer abortions after 18 weeks. So one has to wonder – did Planned Parenthood refer women to Gosnell? For instance, Planned Parenthood in West Chester only performs abortions up to 13 weeks but offers to provide “a referral list of health care providers in your area that offer other abortion services.”
At this time that is just speculation. What we know as fact, however, is Gosnell was no back-alley abortionist. His clinic was fully licensed and recognized as an abortion facility in the community for decades.
And now that Gosnell has been exposed, you would think there is common ground on the action that’s needed to make sure these horrors do not happen again. One would think that those performing abortion surgery should be treated just like any other who performs surgery, right? Not Planned Parenthood. When Pennsylvania took this exact action, Planned Parenthood was up in arms; describing the change as “dangerous,” “scary,” “unnecessary,” and “threatening.”
They supposedly think making abortion clinics follow the same rules as everyone else is unnecessary and dangerous. They said abortion clinics were plenty regulated already – even before Gosnell was shut down.
Gosnell was the bully in the neighborhood – physically hurting so many women and children. What would you do if a woman came to you saying they were physically hurt by this bully? Would you tell her to report it to someone? Would you call the cops? Would you confront him? Would you do nothing?
What if multiple women – some of them teenagers – show they just got beat up by this same man? Would your reaction be the same?
Planned Parenthood’s answer is it’s someone else’s problem.
Planned Parenthood is acting more like a bully lately – continuing to make millions off of their abortion surgery, not taking action themselves to solve a huge problem and vehemently against any action taken that could remotely cut into their lucrative business.
