Monday, May 22, 2006

Alabama's Abhorrent Abortion Clinic

The Birmingham News has a strongly-worded editorial regarding an abortion clinic called the Summit Medical Center of Alabama. On Wednesday, the state Board of Medical Examiners temporarily (90-120 days at least for now) suspended the clinic's license for "egregious lapses in care, including non-physicians performing abortions.".

In February of this year, a woman gave birth to a "stillborn, macerated, six pound, four ounce baby" after she was given the RU-486 abortion drug cocktail by a non-physician at the clinic. Non-physician staff also performed an ultrasound and told the woman she was 6 weeks pregnant.

In case you're wondering, Merriam-Webster defines "macerate" as meaning,
1: to cause to waste away by or as if by excessive fasting
2 : to cause to become soft or separated into constituent elements by or as if by steeping in fluid;

What kind of person gives abortion pills to a woman who is nearly term and tells her she is only 6 weeks?

According to a state health officer, 4 of 10 sampled women were provided with abortions without a physician present.

The end of the Birmingham News editorial notes:
Based on the suspension order, we think Summit should never be allowed back into business. Even people who support a woman's right to an abortion should have a hard time believing the clinic should ever be allowed to perform another one.

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