Louisiana is Abortion Free, All Three Abortion Clinics Close After Order to Stop Non-Essential Surgeries

State   |   Steven Ertelt   |   Mar 23, 2020   |   6:13PM   |   Washington, DC

Louisiana is officially the first abortion-free state in the country.

Over the weekend, state officials issued an order mandating that all non-essential surgeries cease in the state while it battles the outbreak of the coronavirus. Several states have issued the same directive but only Ohio and Texas have indicated it also applies to abortions.

While Ohio abortion centers continue killing babies in abortions in defiance of the mandate, and Texas abortion businesses just got word today that the order applies to them as well, abortion centers in Louisiana apparently complied with the mandate.

Benjamin Clapper, Executive Director of Louisiana Right to Life, told LifeNews.com today, on Saturday, the Louisiana Department of Health issued new healthcare facility guidelines postponing all medical and surgical procedures unless the procedures are to treat an “emergency medical condition” as defined by the notice.

“Gov. Edwards and the Department of Health have put measures in place to aggressively stem the spread of COVID-19 and slow the unnecessary use of personal protection equipment that should be donated to hospitals. This new rule that applies across the board to all medical and surgical procedures is consistent with that life-saving goal.,” Clapper explained

The pro-life group followed up on the order with phone calls to each of the three abortion centers and confirmed that all of them are complying with the order so far.

“On Monday, all three Louisiana abortion facilities appear to be closed. In response to a telephone inquiry from a Shreveport-based woman, an official at Hope Medical Group for Women, the abortion facility in Shreveport, informed her they were closed but intended to ‘fight the law,'” he said.

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Clapper concluded: “While abortion facilities are closed at the moment, their own words indicate their apparent plan is to fight the new regulations in some capacity. We suggest that instead of fighting Louisiana emergency health and safety regulations, the abortion facilities pitch in to fight COVID-19 and its effects by donating much-needed personal protection equipment to local emergency rooms. We all must work together to save lives and stop COVID-19.”

Abortion businesses in Ohio are refusing to comply with an order from Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost to stop killing babies in abortions. They say abortions are somehow essential medical procedures that comply with the state’s order to stop all non-essential surgeries.

On Friday, Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost ordered two abortion business to stop killing babies in abortion. They can’t provide any treatment or procedures that are “non-essential or elective surgeries and procedures that utilize personal protective equipment.”

But Planned Parenthood and other abortion companies are refusing to comply, saying that killing babies in abortions is somehow an essential medical procedure.

Meanwhile, in Texas, Attorney General Ken Paxton today essentially closed down abortion businesses in the state and warned them that they are subject to a new executive order Governor Greg Abbott issued Sunday to end all non-essential surgical procedures. Since no abortions are essential, abortion centers essentially should close down.

Abbott issued a new executive order prohibiting all non-essential medical procedures until the middle of April. The order says that, “beginning now and continuing until 11:59 p.m. on April 21, 2020, all licensed health care professionals and all licensed health care facilities shall postpone all surgeries and procedures that are not immediately medically necessary to correct a serious medical condition of, or to preserve the life of, a patient who without immediate performance of the surgery or procedure would be at risk for serious adverse medical consequences or death, as determined by the patient’s physician.”

A representative of the governor’s office confirmed to the Associated Press today that the order does apply to abortions: “An Abbott spokesman confirmed that would cover abortion in most cases while the order is in place until April 21.”

Today, Paxton issued a statement warning all licensed health care professionals and all licensed health care facilities, including abortion companies, that, pursuant to Executive Order GA 09 issued by Gov. Greg Abbott, they must postpone all surgeries and procedures that are not immediately medically necessary.

“This prohibition applies throughout the State and to all surgeries and procedures that are not immediately medically necessary, including routine dermatological, ophthalmological, and dental procedures, as well as most scheduled healthcare procedures that are not immediately medically necessary such as orthopedic surgeries or any type of abortion that is not medically necessary to preserve the life or health of the mother,” Paxton explained.

Meanwhile, unborn babies will continue to be killed in elective abortions in Washington state even though most other elective and non-urgent medical procedures have been temporarily banned. Despite the global health crisis, Gov. Jay Inslee, a pro-abortion Democrat, specifically allowed abortions to continue when he announced his order Thursday.

Last week, Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker allowed an exception for elective abortions as well in his state. Other states have issued similar orders limiting non-essential medical procedures, but abortion facilities continue to do abortions there as well. Abortion businesses are still open in California and Pennsylvania, despite their governors’ bans on non-essential medical care. LifeNews reported about similar situations in Illinois, Maine and Puerto Rico last week.