Three Alabama Abortion Clinics Removed From Probation, Health Officials Say

Main Category: Abortion
Also Included In: Public Health;  Women's Health / Gynecology
Article Date: 10 Oct 2007 - 6:00 PDT

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Three Alabama abortion clinics that have been operating with restricted licenses for the past year have been removed from probation by the state health department, Rick Harris, director of the state Bureau of Health Provider Standards, said Friday, the AP/Alabama Live reports. The move brings all eight of the clinics that provide abortions in the state into full compliance with state regulations, Harris said.

The Beacon Women's Center and Reproductive Health Services in Montgomery, Ala., as well as New Women All Women Health Care in Birmingham, Ala., were downgraded to probationary status last year after several violations were found by state inspectors. The state's investigations were prompted by a report in February 2006 that a clinic staff member at the Summit Medical Center abortion clinic in Birmingham, Ala., gave a woman a drug to induce abortion even though her pregnancy was nearly at full term. Summit, which also runs Beacon Women's Center, closed the Birmingham clinic. Beacon and New Women All Women Health Care were reinstated on Oct. 1, and Reproductive Health's license was restored in July.

Harris said the state has been meeting its goal of annual inspections for the clinics and hopes for continued progress through this year. "Essentially what we do is retroactive, so right now everything seems to be relatively quiet, but that doesn't mean nothing's going on," Harris said, adding, "We could get a complaint (next week)." Reproductive Health Services co-owner June Ayers on Friday said, "I'm just ecstatic we're off probation," adding, "We've come into compliance and we plan on being in compliance." Administrators at Beacon and New Women All Women could not immediately be reached for comment, the AP/al.com reports (Hunter, AP/Alabama Live, 10/5).

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