Monday, March 18, 2013

Birmingham Abortion Clinic Operating Illegally in Defiance of State Ordered Closure


BIRMINGHAM, Ala., March 18, 2013 /Christian Newswire/ -- A coalition of groups including Operation Rescue, CEC for Life, Life Legal Defense Foundation, Priests for Life, and others, has documented that New Women All Women and abortionist Bruce Elliot Norman are advertising for and conducting abortions in violation of Alabama law that requires any facility advertising as an abortion clinic to be licensed by the state. In addition, the abortion clinic is operating in violation of a closure order issued in April, 2012, by the Alabama Department of Public Health (ADPH) due to massive health and safety violations. [VIDEO]
 
On Tuesday, March 19, at 11 AM, LLDF, CEC For Life, and other national organizations will hold an emergency press conference in front of the New Woman All Women facility (corner of 10th Ave and 17th St S.) regarding LLDF's findings against NWAW and the Department of Public Health's total lack of action. National pro-life groups will call for an immediate shut down of NWAW, along with a full investigation.
 
"This abortion clinic appears to be operating illegally with the full knowledge of the ADPH," said Operation Rescue President Troy Newman. "It is intolerable that they would allow this criminal abortion business to endanger women by operating in brazen defiance of the law."
 
Rev. Terry Gensemer says, "CEC For Life, Life Legal Defense Foundation, Operation Rescue, Priests for Life, and the community of Birmingham would like to know exactly how the Department of Public Health justifies not only allowing a facility without any license to continue illegally advertising as an abortion provider, but also explain how that facility is now blatantly offering abortions to patients. If NWAW is no longer a licensed abortion provider, then what is abortionist Bruce Norman doing here with a full parking lot on a Saturday morning? And why isn't ADPH doing anything to stop it? These are questions we need answered, and we need them answered now."
 
Allison Aranda, an attorney with Life Legal Defense Foundation who is representing the pro-life groups, has formally notified the ADPH that the abortion clinic has resumed abortions without a license and provided evidence in support of that claim. So far the ADPH has ignored the information.
 
In a Consent Order last year, owner Diane Derzis and her associate Norman were ordered not to have any involvement in the Birmingham clinic. Two attempts by a close associate of Derzis' to relicense the clinic failed. The most recent application for licensure was denied just last month. After that, Derzis reopened her abortion clinic in violation of the ADPH order.
 
On January 21, 2012, pro-life activists photographed two women being carried out of the clinic’s back door to ambulances waiting in a trash-strewn alley, and obtained the 911 recordings that indicated both women had been overdosed by clinic staff. The pro-life groups filed a complaint with the ADPH which conducted an inspection and discovered that a third woman was also hospitalized on that same day suffering from abortion complications and 76-pages of other violations.
 
"We demand that the ADPH to immediately close New Woman All Women and take whatever legal action is necessary to ensure that the owner Diane Derzis is never allowed to operate another abortion clinic again, even if that means bringing criminal charges and locking her in jail," said Newman.
 
We urge the public to contact the Alabama Department of Public Health and demand they take immediate action to halt New Woman All Women's illegal abortion operations.
 
Contact Information:
Brian Hale, ADPH Assistant General Counsel
Voice: 334-206-5209 | FAX: 334-206-5874
 
About Operation Rescue®
Operation Rescue is one of the leading pro-life Christian activist organizations in the nation and has become a strong voice for the pro-life movement in America. Click here to support Operation Rescue.

Christian Newswire

Cao Ruyi, Whose Near-Forced Abortion Case Grabbed World Headlines, Shows Off Infant Son, Thanks Congressman Smith in Just-Released Video


CHANGSHA, HUNAN, China, March 18, 2013 /Christian Newswire/ -- One of the pregnant Chinese women who made international headlines last summer when family planning officials tried to forcibly abort her at five months has given birth to a boy and written a thank-you letter to U.S. Congressman Chris Smith for his personal intervention that helped assure her safety.
In a short video edited and produced by Women's Rights in China and translated by ChinaAid, Cao is shown being visited by a representative of Women's Rights in China and showing off her infant son, who was born on Oct. 15, 2012. See the video here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=gGflQnILPQQ
Cao was five months pregnant on June 6 when family planning officials and other government officials in Changsha dragged her to a hospital, beat her, and were ready to force her to have an abortion. However, because of a number of problems, including no available bed space at the hospital, Cao was transferred to a nearby hotel and placed under house arrest pending an abortion.
Due to the timely intervention of ChinaAid founder and president Bob Fu, who personally contacted the local officials and helped draw international attention to the case, and of Congressman Smith (R-N.J.), who wrote directly to the local government condemning their actions, the planned abortion never took place.
Cao and her husband have named their son, their only child, Dahai, which means "help from overseas." She is shown in the video holding their son as her husband signs a letter of thanks to Smith for his vital role in their case. The letter was delivered to Smith in Washington, D.C. earlier this month by a volunteer for Women's Rights in China.
However, as the video reports, the family still faces looming problems, including a US$15,000 fine for the unauthorized birth and the fact that their son's birth cannot be registered. In China's authoritarian system, this means his existence is not recognized by the government and he cannot get a government-issued identification card, which is required for all basic activities of a citizen, including attending school, opening a bank account and even getting medical care.
Click for transcript of the video.

Christian Newswire