N.J. Public Advocate Chen Will Not Seek Patients Who Might Have Had Adverse Outcomes From Abortions At State-Licensed Clinics

Main Category: Abortion
Also Included In: Public Health;  Women's Health / Gynecology
Article Date: 18 Sep 2007 - 5:00 PDT

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New Jersey Public Advocate Ronald Chen on Wednesday announced that he will not seek out all patients who might have been affected adversely by services, including abortions, they received at clinics that have not been inspected regularly by the state, the Bergen Record reports (Lu/Padawer, Bergen Record, 9/13).

New Jersey Right to Life in July asked Chen to use the Department of the Public Advocate to ensure that abortion clinics in the state are inspected regularly and that the women who received abortions at the Atlantic City, N.J.-based abortion provider Alternatives and Metropolitan Medical Associates in Englewood receive follow-up care. Alternatives was closed after violations were discovered in June. Metropolitan Medical Associates also was forced to close earlier this year as a result of two health violations, but it subsequently re-opened.

State records found that health officials inspected only one of the six state-licensed abortion clinics in two years until Metropolitan Medical and Alternatives recently were inspected. Alternatives and Metropolitan Medical had not been inspected in six and five years, respectively, according to state records. Tom Slater, spokesperson for the health department, has said the lack of inspections is attributed to the drastic increase in New Jersey-licensed health facilities since 2000 and the minimal increase in new health inspectors (Kaiser Daily Women's Health Policy Report, 8/21). Slater on Wednesday said that inspectors recently had visited all six state-licensed clinics.

Chen's Response
Chen in his response to NJRTL wrote, "Because of the number of ACFs (ambulatory care facilities) and the number of patients they serve, we do not think it would be practical or effective for the public advocate to attempt to reach out to all patients who might have been affected by [the health department's] inspection backlog." The letter added that the office would be monitoring the situation with the state health department "to ensure that the state continues to move toward a system of timely inspections" (AP/Trenton Times, 9/12). In addition, Chen wrote that his office's Division of Citizen Relations "will take appropriate action" on any contacts made by people who believe they were "adversely affected" by an inspection delay at an ambulatory care facility (Bergen Record, 9/13).

Marie Tasy, executive director of NJRTL, called the public advocate's response inadequate (AP/Trenton Times, 9/12). "I think what this letter demonstrates is the public advocate has turned his back on poor women in New Jersey -- the precise population they claim to be advocates for," Tasy said (Bergen Record, 9/13).

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