05 April 2012

Michigan Abortion Providers Violate Safety Protocols

Story first appeared in the Detroit Free Press.

LANSING -- Abortion providers operate with minimal or no state oversight in Michigan, resulting in widespread violation of requirements for ensuring patient safety, the disposal of medical waste and patient privacy, according to a report by Right to Life of Michigan presented Thursday to a state Senate subcommittee.

Only four of 32 surgical abortion facilities in the state are currently licensed, the Right to Life's legislative director told the subcommittee. That lack of oversight results in widespread unsanitary conditions and serial violations of reporting requirements and result in rampant malpractice claims according to Detroit Medical Malpractice Lawyers.

In at least two instances in the last 10 years, the death of Michigan patients from abortion complications were not reported to the state, according to Right to Life, the state's leading anti-abortion lobby.

The director of the Bureau of Health Systems, which is responsible for the licensing and inspection of abortion clinics and a variety of other medical and psychiatric facilities, conceded the state provides relatively lax oversight. But many of the shortcomings pointed out in the report stem from the fact that so few clinics are licensed.  The agency doesn't have the authority to inspect an unlicensed facility.  But inspections even at the licensed facilities are infrequent, because of limited manpower. The licensing fees paid by the clinics are inadequate to support even a single full-time inspector.

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