Columbia, South Carolina – Earlier this year, Operation Rescue posted photos and a story about an inmate from the South Carolina prison inmate who was escorted into the Planned Parenthood abortion facility in May, handcuffed and crying. The incident took place on May 30, 2015.
At the time, it appeared that the distraught woman, who was inside the Planned Parenthood clinic for about two hours, had an abortion, raising questions about why a state-run prison facility was expending tax money to facilitate and/or subsidize an abortion.
Today, we have a happy update on what appeared to be a tragic story.
A blog site, FitsNews.com has reported that it tracked down the inmate’s husband, Harvie Coates, who reports that his wife, Brook, gave birth seven weeks early to their son, Kooper Bryan Coates. Dad is caring for Kooper, who is reportedly putting on weight and is healthy and much loved.
But Harvie Coates also had something disturbing to say about his wife’s visit to Planned Parenthood.
Here is an excerpt from the FitsNews.com story posted November 13, 2015:
[Harvie] almost didn’t get the chance to care for Kooper. Both prison officials and Planned Parenthood staffers reportedly urged Brook Coates to abort her son, her husband told us.
“They were saying she needed to do it,” Harvie Coates said. “They said she wouldn’t survive the pregnancy.”
Apparently Brook Coates had a very difficult delivery with one of her other children and there were concerns about her blood pressure spiking during childbirth. But the couple “thought about it and prayed about it” and after consulting with their pastor they decided to have the baby.
“I’m glad we did,” he told us, although he quickly added “I don’t think it’s right for them to pressure people.”
It appears that Brook Coates has recently been granted parole and should be released to be reunited with her family soon. We wish them all the best.
However, Harvie Coates’s account of pressure that prison officials and Planned Parenthood staff put on Brook to abort Kooper should be of concern. So determined was the prison to make sure Brook aborted, that they transported her in handcuffs to the Planned Parenthood clinic, which was more than happy to do the dirty deed.
“We applaud Brook Coates for her courage in standing up to the bullying and giving her son life, and we appreciate her pastor for giving her and her husband Biblically-sound advice,” said Troy Newman, President of Operation Rescue. “What happened to her was completely wrong, and those responsible for this should be held accountable. This is just another of about a million reasons to investigate and defund Planned Parenthood.”
Meanwhile, the Planned Parenthood abortion facility where Brook was taken has recently faced additional problems.
After powerful undercover videos were released by the Center for Medical Progress over the summer, Gov. Nikki Haley ordered an investigation into South Carolina’s three abortion clinics.
As a result of that investigation, the South Carolina Department of Health uncovered egregious health and safety violations at all three facilities and suspended the operating licenses of Planned Parenthood in Columbia – the same facility visited by Brook Coates — and the Greenville Women’s Clinic in September.
The agency lifted the sanctions on Planned Parenthood earlier this month. However, that’s not the end of the Columbia Planned Parenthood’s woes. Now, according to the Daily Signal, it appears that Planned Parenthood may be subject to stiff fines related to the improper disposal of aborted baby remains.
It seems Planned Parenthood was steaming the bodies of babies it aborted and dumping them in a landfill, instead of incinerating them as required by law. Penalties could range from $2,200 to $21,150.
“This would have been the fate of Kooper Coates, had his mom not stood up to the bullies at Planned Parenthood. We hope Planned Parenthood received the stiffest fine possible. Not only did their dumping practice violate the law, it violates ever sense of morality and respect for humanity,” said Newman. “It also may have posed a health hazard for the rest of the public.”
The better solution is to shut down Planned Parenthood, to ensure that laws are not broken, public health is protected, and women are not bullied into abortions they do not want. Operation Rescue urges the State of South Carolina to do just that.
