The term “back alley abortion” describing illegal, unsafe, and often self-induced abortion became a household word in the early 1970’s, as Roe v Wade descended from the Supreme Court. The threat and fear of back alley abortions, with mental images of coat hangers, became the primary argument of legal abortion advocates, including Planned Parenthood and women’s advocacy groups.
More currently, the World Health Organization addressed the global issue of unsafe abortion:
“Ending the silent pandemic of unsafe abortion is an urgent public-health and human-rights imperative. As with other more visible global-health issues, this scourge threatens women throughout the developing world. Every year, about 19–20 million abortions are done by individuals without the requisite skills, or in environments below minimum medical standards, or both. Nearly all unsafe abortions (97%) are in developing countries.”
Are Maryland abortion clinics equivalent to medical facilities in under-developed countries?
The case of a Baltimore woman who died due to a botched abortion in 2006 was heard by the Maryland Board of Physicians yesterday in a closed door hearing.
A group of about 60 advocates for women and children gathered to demand the revocation of the physician’s license and increased regulation of abortion clinics to provide for a safe environment for these medical procedures.
Planned Parenthood, National Organization of Women, and NARAL ProChoice came out in force to demand justice for Denise Crowe, a 21-year-old mother who died at the hands of a negligent doctor with a history of malfeasance. They cried out for equality in regulation of medical standards for an industry that exclusively serves women but has less state regulation than, in the terms of one advocate, “a neighborhood snowball stand”. They demanded an end to the secrecy and inaction of the Maryland Board of Physicians, comprised of industry insiders, and for legislation that would bring the standards of practice up to an acceptable level.
Oh wait, retraction. Planned Parenthood, NOW, and NARAL were busy yesterday. It was actually a coalition of ProLife groups, faith organizations, and private and public citizens.
Bill Simpson of Defend Life said, “Safe abortions aren’t guaranteed because of the total lack of regulation. There are no sanitation standards. There are no inspection standards. There are no statistics. The doctors that operate these facilities do not even have to have hospital admitting privileges.”
In the case of Ms. Crowe, the attending physician, Dr. Romeo Ferrer, has a long history of accusations of malfeasance which include nine civil suits and three previous hearings by the Maryland Board of Physicians.
Mr. Simpson had conducted his own research and found a previous case against Dr. Ferrer which was settled for $350,000 and thus never made it to a hearing with the Board nor made public. The only cases that the Board makes public to the citizenry, according to Mr. Simpson, are those in which it takes some sort of action. The majority are swept under the rug.
Indeed, the 2006 case of Ms. Crowe only received a 2010 hearing because of the action of the coalition of ProLife organizations.
Mr. Simpson said, “Why is the state legislature not requiring every settled medical malpractice case to go before the Board? This is a lack of value on the health, safety, and welfare of the lives of women by members of the Maryland State Legislature which has continually blocked efforts to ensure [the safety of women]. As long as abortions are legal, does it not make sense that the clinics should have the same degree of oversight, or more, than a veterinarian office?”
“I believe the legislators of the state of Maryland have an obligation to the women of this great state to ensure their medical treatments are valued equally as the medical treatments for men. And their failure to do so will result in continued death and injuries to innocent women... Had [the Maryland Board of Physicians] taken action on Dr. Ferrer on the previous cases, a young woman and a mother would be alive today.”
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Comments
This is an example of the sheer hypocracy of the Democratic Party and their so-called 'leadership.' Out of their mouths come 'Safe. Legal. Abortions.' But with their deeds, they could care less about the lives of the women who have died in these abortion mills, not to mention the loss of the life of the 'fetuses.' Also why do the politician not hold hearings about how the clinics operate (including the practices of the staff, the sources of funding, the finances, the staff training, etc.)? They don't because the Democratic Party and its 'leadership' on any level (local, state, federal) does not want to hear this!
Sue the Maryland Board of Physicians and the State of Maryland for allowing this "doctor" to continue to practice. It was within their power to prevent this and they did not. That's negligence. It's time to play hardball!
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