Nebraska Pro-Life Advocates Meet With Attorney General on Abortion Practitioner

State   |   Steven Ertelt   |   Sep 3, 2009   |   9:00AM   |   WASHINGTON, DC

Nebraska Pro-Life Advocates Meet With Attorney General on Abortion Practitioner

by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
September 3
, 2009

Lincoln, NE (LifeNews.com) — Representatives of a handful of pro-life advocates met with Nebraska Attorney General Jon Bruning on Thursday to discuss their concerns about abortion practitioner LeRoy Carhart. Former members of his staff have come forward saying he engaged in illegal and unethical activities.

They say they participated in abortions that were done without proper licensing and that started IVs for him even though they are not registered nurses or certified licensed practical nurses, as required by state law.

Julie Schmit-Albin, the director of Nebraska Right to Life, talked with LifeNews.com about today’s meeting.

"Serious allegations of criminal activity were presented to Attorney General Jon Bruning this morning via sworn affidavits of three former employees of LeRoy Carhart’s abortion facility," she said.

"We are hopeful that the AG will pursue a criminal investigation of Carhart and that other information turned over to the Nebraska Department of Health & Human Services will also work towards shutting down Carhart’s abortion facility," she added.

She indicated Bruning would not say whether a criminal investigation will ensue, but aid the pro-life advocates hate a "very good" meeting to discuss the "serious" allegations.

Schmit-Albin says the other pro-life groups, including Operation Rescue, Nebraskans United for Life and Rescue the Heartland, brought sworn affidavits to Bruning alleging criminal activity by former employees of Carhart.

Some of the information is going to the state health department while some of it will stay with Bruning’s office.

"Witnesses have come forward with sworn statements regarding what they saw and were asked to do inside Carhart’s facility," the Nebraska pro-life leader said. "We expect DHHS will do its job with regard to regulatory and licensing violations and that the Attorney General will do his job with regard to criminal allegations."

"Having former employees willing to speak on record makes all the difference," she said, adding that it would have been helpful in a previous case.

"It is what we should have had to pursue Planned Parenthood of Lincoln’s abortion facility in 2002 when the former clinic director made anonymous allegations but refused to come forward publicly," she told LifeNews.com. "We acknowledge that this cannot be an easy thing for these former employees but it is the necessary and right thing to do."

A third former employee, who was fired about six years ago, also confirmed that she frequently administered medication intravenously although she wasn’t a certified LPN.

The groups filed a formal complaint about the alleged illegal and unsafe practices at Carhart’s abortion business and were notified by the Nebraska Attorney General’s office that the complaint had been forwarded to the Department of Health and Human Services, (NHHS), and that the Attorney General would monitor their investigation.

Once news of the investigation spread, former employees came forward with information about past problems.

Other allegations include missing narcotics and the alteration of the fetal age of unborn children so late-term abortions Carhart would do would comply with state law.

The pro-life groups also note that Carhart did the late-term abortion on the baby of 19-year old Christin Gilbert that was botched and resulted in Gilbert’s death.

Carhart has faced disciplining from state health officials before.

The NHHS has ordered Carhart to stop certain unprofessional conduct such as interrupting abortion procedures to take personal phone calls, falsifying entries on patient charts, and failing to protect his staff and patients from contagious diseases.

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