Illinois abortionists are committing criminal acts by not reporting abortions or complications; OR demands enforcement

Chicago, IL – A Chicago-Tribune article published today reveals that Illinois abortionists are not reporting abortions or their complications as required by law. In fact, the report indicates that as many as eleven abortionists are failing to comply with any part of the Illinois law that requires abortions and their complications to be reported to the State. Failure to report is a criminal offense and grounds for medical license revocation.
There has never been any attempt to enforce the Illinois law, even though the article admits that “dangerous providers do exist, made evident by the murder charges filed this year against a Philadelphia abortion doctor whom prosecutors accused of operating a ‘house of horrors’.”
Regulatory collapse was blamed for allowing Gosnell to remain open. No inspections were made and complaints were ignored. Enforcement of the law was non-existent.
“The Chicago-Tribune article is evidence of a massive regulatory breakdown isn’t confined to Pennsylvania. Illegal abortion activity is widespread throughout the U.S and enforcement is very rare and only comes as a result of public exposure and pressure,” said Operation Rescue President Troy Newman.
“In the case of Illinois, the lack of reporting endangers women by allowing abortionists with high complication rates to fly under the radar. That places the lives of women at risk. Illinois authorities have really dropped the ball and let women down who should be protected.”

The Chicago-Tribune compared abortion information reported to the state with similar information reported to the pro-abortion Guttmacher Institute, which tracks abortion trends. The newspaper found that the Guttmacher Institute had record of 37 abortionists in Illinois while the state only had knowledge of 26.
That means at least eleven abortionists are not reporting at all.
The newspaper also discovered that abortions are under-reported to the state, compared to numbers reported to the Guttmacher Institute, as many as 7,000-17,000 per year.
But more shocking was the revelation that over 4,000 abortion complications were reported to the state in 2009, most without giving the nature of the complication as required.
“Even at that, there is some evidence that most abortionists only sporadically report complications. Couple that with the fact that at least eleven abortionists are off the grid, we could be talking about a staggering number of unreported complications, including patient deaths. These abortionists could literally be getting away with murder,” said Newman.
Operation Rescue’s own research has shown that abortionists rarely follow the law.
Operation Rescue recently conducted an investigation into abortion clinics in the state of Texas and discovered violations at every clinic that was subject to scrutiny. Complaints were filed with three Texas agencies. So far authorities have determined that two abortion clinics are in violation of the law regarding the dumping of aborted baby remains. Other violations are expected as the State investigations progress.
“We have never found an abortion clinic that is in full compliance with the law. Anytime we have seen anyone take even a cursory look at abortion clinics, violations are discovered. The Chicago-Tribune article reinforces this and shows that when there is no penalty for criminal behavior, the abortionists will take full advantage even if it means women and their families suffer as a result,” said Newman.
The newspaper interviewed Maurice Stevenson, whose wife died in 2002 from a blood infection following an abortion at Planned Parenthood. He decried the secrecy that keeps the public from being aware of abortionists who maim or kill women and believes abortion complications and deaths should be a matter of public record.
“Illinois is expecting an industry that shrouds itself behind a veil of secrecy to self-report when something goes wrong. With abortionists trying to put a happy spin on their grisly work in the face of decreasing public support and legislative efforts to halt tax-funding, that is just not going to happen,” said Newman.
Operation Rescue has faxed a letter to the Department of Public Health asking for the state to immediately take efforts to identify all abortionists operating in Illinois, conduct emergency inspections of the facilities and records, and to enforce the state laws that were enacted to protect women.
“The Department of Public Health has let the abortionists slide long enough. We may never know how many women have suffered and died as a result,” said Newman. “Now that they have been exposed, it is time for them to buck up and do their duty.”
Read “State Abortion Records Full of Gaps”, Chicago-Tribune, June 16, 2011
Read Newman’s Letter to the Illinois Department of Health