Texas Medical Board Gets Complaints on Problem Abortionists

State   |   Steven Ertelt   |   Mar 23, 2011   |   1:30PM   |   Austin, TX

The Texas Medical Board, which oversees licensed physicians but not abortion centers, has received complaints about a dozen abortion practitioners after a massive statewide investigation.

As LifeNews.com reported earlier this month, the pro-life group Operation Rescue conducted a wide-ranging investigation and found numerous abortion centers, staff and abortion practitioners evading Texas laws, illegally dumping patient records and medical waste, covering up potential cases of statutory rape, and helping teenagers avoid the Texas parental involvement law on abortion.

The group filed complaints with the Texas Medical Board against twelve abortion practitioners for violations discovered during the three-month undercover investigation it conducted jointly with members of the pro-life group Survivors. The abortion practitioners named in the complaints are Jasbir Ahlwualia, Arthur John Brock, Robert Hanson, Douglas A. Karpen, Margaret Kini, Pedro Kowalyszyn, Lester Minto, Alan Molson, Robert L. Prince, Brook Randal, Franz Theard, and William West.

The allegations against them range from mishandling private patient medical records and information, violating informed consent laws, disregarding the 24-hour waiting period, improper disposal of biohazardous medical waste, including human tissue, instructing minors to cross state lines to avoid Texas parental notification laws, and mishandling of drugs and prescription forms.

“Evidence from our investigation has been submitted to the Texas Medical Board along with our complaints,” said Operation Rescue president Troy Newman. “There can be no question that violations have occurred. There are questions, however, about whether the Texas Medical Board will act appropriately to protect women and uphold the standard of care. Those questions remain to be answered.”

Newman told LifeNews.com that this is the first round of filings and more complaints are likely as additional data collected in the investigation is processed.

“Complaints have also been filed or are in the process of being filed with other state agencies that do oversee the abortion clinics. We are covering all the bases to make sure justice is done and that no one slips through the cracks of the Texas bureaucracy,” said Newman. “If abortionists and abortion clinics don’t want to follow the laws or are incapable of compliance, then the State should shut them down. It’s as simple as that.”

Among the worst offenders was Whole Women’s Health, which operates five abortion facilities in Texas. The McAllen, Texas discoveries were particularly disturbing and dumped in the trash were the bloody refuse of several abortions along with the names of patients and other private information.

Patient logs and other records were discovered on Whole Women’s Health forms and the bloody remains of abortions came in bags with other documents bearing Whole Women’s Health’s name. Operation Rescue has made examples of this evidence public.

During one conference call recorded on January 10, 2011, abortionist William West of Whole Women’s Health can be heard mocking the information he is required by law to tell women. After he says that he is required to say that abortion presents a risk for breast cancer, he launches into a mocking rebuttal of the information he just told them.

The anti-abortion folks have waged this fear campaign for years now, um, making numerous false charges about the quote dangers of abortion, and uh, one completely fictitious this is drummed up spread all around is that there is an increased risk of breast cancer and interference with future childbearing and so forth. None of these are true. It’s their attempt to scare you out of having an abortion.

“If this does not violate the letter of the law, it certainly undermines the intent of the legislature, which determined that women should have certain information on which to make an informed decision,” said Newman. “It is his remarks that are grossly untrue, and he should be held accountable for misleading women about abortion risks.”

Later in that same call, one woman expresses concern that her appointment is not 24 hours from the time of the conference call, as required by law.

Caller: Hello?
West: Yes.
Caller: My appointment is tomorrow morning and if I called now, is this enough time? It’s less than 24 hours.
West: Yes.
Caller: And that’ll be okay?
West: Um-hm.
Caller: Thank you.