Planned Parenthood Gets License in New Hampshire After Breaking Laws

State   |   Steven Ertelt   |   Sep 20, 2012   |   1:31PM   |   Concord, NH

Even though Planned Parenthood of Northern New England was accused of distributing abortion and other drugs at its six New Hampshire clinics in violation of state law, the New Hampshire Board of Pharmacy has agreed to renew its drug license.

Earlier this year, Alliance Defending Freedom attorney Michael Tierney filed a complaint against the abortion business on behalf of New Hampshire Right to Life.

Since the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services terminated its contract with Planned Parenthood last year, Tierney says the six New Hampshire clinics have continued to distribute drugs, including abortion-inducing drugs, even though they apparently have no licensed pharmacists at the clinics.

The complaint provided communications by Planned Parenthood leaders indicating that they knew that dispensing such prescriptions without a pharmacist on staff was a violation of the state statute. State law provides for substantial fines and revocation or suspension of license for dispensing drugs in violation of the statute. The six clinics together dispense more than $4,000 of birth control and abortion-causing drugs every day.

“No matter where a person stands on abortion, everyone should agree that Planned Parenthood has to play by the same rules as everyone else,” said Tierney, an attorney with the Manchester firm of Wadleigh, Starr & Peters, PLLC. “In this case, that means it must obey state laws that say only licensed pharmacists may distribute prescription drugs when a clinic is not under contract with the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services.”

Despite the evidence, the New Hampshire Board of Pharmacy, yesterday, unanimously agreed to renew Planned Parenthood of Northern New England’s pharmaceutical license.

“After a comprehensive license renewal process, the Board of Pharmacy acted unanimously to continue the dispensing authority we have had at Planned Parenthood of Northern New England for more than 20 years,” said Jennifer Frizzell, senior policy adviser for the abortion business.

Tierney told the Union Leader newspaper he is disappointed by the decision and said the board’s approval came in about 90 seconds without discussion except to say the decision was based on a confidential memo it received from Planned Parenthood.

Tierney sent a letter to the board Monday asking members to deny Planned Parenthood’s application and asking for the drug dispensing protocols the organization was supposed to file to complete its application.

“I was informed Planned Parenthood did not submit the protocols,” Tierney said.

Planned Parenthood had been dispensing contraceptives and other medications under an administrative license from the board good until Nov 1. Tierney asked the board to revoke the license, but the board declined to do that.

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Last September,  the Obama administration made a decisionto force New Hampshire taxpayers to fund the Planned Parenthood abortion business after the state’s Executive Council voted to revoke a $1.8 million contract. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced it will provide the contract for family planning with Planned Parenthood directly from the federal government to the abortion business rather than routing the money through the state and letting New Hampshire officials determine who should receive the Title X grants. The council voted against funding because Planned Parenthood does abortions and its top officials earn big six-figure salaries.

The decision came after the Obama administration sent the state a strongly-worded letter to complain. The Health and Human Services Department is claiming the state broke federal rules in denying the Planned Parenthood contract and it alleges the state must provide family planning services to low-income women and that de-funding Planned Parenthood puts it at risk of losing federal funding by supposedly denying women access to family planning — even though other alternatives are available from other agencies.