Second Texas Abortion Center Illegally Dumping Aborted Babies

State   |   Steven Ertelt   |   Jun 13, 2011   |   12:01PM   |   Austin, TX

A second Texas abortion center has been found by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) to have been illegally dumping the bodies of babies victimized by abortions in dumpsters outside its abortion facility.

TCEQ has determined that a second abortion business operating under the name Whole Women’s Health should be charged with “Failure to prevent the disposal of treated fetuses at a municipal solid waste landfill” and “Failure to ensure that the labels placed on each medical waste container show the weight of the container.”

“Due to the apparent seriousness of the alleged violations, a formal enforcement action has been initiated,” stated a TCEQ Investigation Report dated June 3.

The reports follow on the heels of investigations conducted by two pro-life groups, Operation Rescue and The Survivors, at abortion centers across the Lone Star State. The investigations discovered and documented bloody items, including a blood-filled cannula used in abortions, in the clinic’s dumpster. The investigators also discovered documents containing the names and other information of abortion patients, constituting a violation of HIPAA privacy regulations.

“I am horrified at the blatant disregard for the law and lack of care for women who are obtaining abortions. Evidence gathered proves that abortion clinics throughout the state of Texas are unclean, unsafe, and their staff lack respect for women and their right to privacy,” said Ashley Colantuono of the Survivors, a key participant in the investigation.

According to the TCEQ report, the Texas Department of State Health Services continues to investigate the alleged privacy violations.

“The scandal involving abortion abuses and legal violations is beginning to spread. As the agencies conduct their own investigations, they are discovering more problems,” said Operation Rescue President Troy Newman. “As these investigations progress, we expect to see more penalties and disciplinary action.”

Newman informed LifeNews that Stericycle, a national business that is frequently hired by abortion clinics to dispose of the remains of aborted babies and other biohazardous medical waste, may also come under investigation from Texas officials. He said the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality report indicated that Stericycle picked up boxes containing the remains of aborted babies once a week from Whole Women’s Health in Austin. The contents were then autoclaved, or steamed, then dumped at the BFI Sunset Farms Landfill.

However, under Texas law, aborted baby remains are considered “pathological waste,” something the Austin Stericycle Autoclave facility is not permitted to handle, Newman alleges, saying properly treated remains are required to be dumped in a special kind of landfill, not a municipal one like the BFI Sunset Farms facility.

Last week, Operation Rescue was notified that the TECQ had found that Whole Women’s Health in McAllen had also violated the laws by dumping the remains of aborted babies in an open dumpster. Penalties for the violations will now be determined by the enforcement branch of the TCEQ, and could include hefty fines.

The TCEQ investigative report indicated that “recognizable human body parts, tissues, fetuses, organs, and the products of human abortions” were illegally dumped by Whole Women’s Health, which constituted a violation of the Texas Administrative Code. Violations of the strict regulations that govern the disposal of such tissue can create a public health hazard and penalties for the violations will now be determined by the enforcement branch of the TCEQ, and could include hefty fines.

The abortion practitioner who runs the McAllen abortion center in question has worked overtime to remove online video footage showing the results of the investigations.

Meanwhile, the pro-life organization informs LifeNews that the Texas Medical Board continues to investigate complaints filed by Operation Rescue against over a dozen Texas abortion practitioners. Those investigations are ongoing and could result in disciplinary action.