Right to Life of Michigan, the state's largest prolife organization, on March 6, 2012, released a report documenting abortion clinic abuses. Most of Michigan's abortion clinics are not in compliance with dozens of state laws or regulations. The report also cites a vital need for oversight and enforcement on the part of Michigan agencies charged with holding health providers and facilities to account.
The final report culminated months of research and thousands of pages of documents acquired through the Freedom of Information Act. The report demonstrates that many abortion clinics have operated without holding a proper license or were granted a state license without ever being inspected.
The review comes in the wake of a notorious abortion clinic scandal in Pennsylvania that revealed a similar pattern of legal noncompliance. The problems cited in the report highlight deficiencies like those that led Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette to file lawsuits in 2011 resulting in two illegally incorporated abortion clinics closing permanently.
Right to Life of Michigan President Barbara Listing said, "Our report reveals that women's health and welfare are needlessly being put at risk. We have heard numerous stories about the deplorable conditions that persist in Michigan abortion clinics. This blatant disregard for women's safety due to a lack of proper government oversight must stop."
Listing also noted that the changes needed to correct the reported failures are already getting attention in Lansing.
"We have received favorable indications about how the Snyder Administration and the Legislature intend to respond to this unacceptable situation," Listing said. "New personnel and new policies are taking hold in the oversight agencies, and key legislators are looking closely at what additional resources might be needed. With our report exposing the offenses, and state officials stepping forward to reform governmental functions, we expect the worst of the abortion clinics to face closure."
The report is available for download on Right to Life of Michigan's web site, www.rtl.org. The direct link is: http://media.rtl.org/pdf/legislation/Abortion_Clinic_Abuses_March_2012.pdf
