By Cheryl Sullenger
Mission Hills, CA — Just before Christmas, Operation Rescue received a report of an ambulance transport that took place on December 21, 2019, at FPA Women’s Health, an abortion business located in Mission Hills, California.
FPA Women’s Health is a chain of 24 abortion facilities scattered throughout the state of California. At several of these facilities, multiple injuries and patient deaths have been documented.
The report indicated that witnesses observed a Hispanic woman on a gurney as she was removed from the abortion business and loaded into a Los Angeles Fire Department Ambulance.
“The woman appeared unconscious and the paramedics looked very disturbed,” the source told Operation Rescue.
Long-time FPA Women’s Health abortionist Karen Mann was believed to be conducting abortions at the time of the incident. Mann has been involved with at least three serious abortion-related medical emergencies while working at the chain’s facility in Bakersfield.
With no photographs of the December emergency available, Operation Rescue worked to verify the incident and learn more.
Our first attempt to obtain public 911 records from the Los Angeles Fire Department was flatly denied. Since 911 records are traditionally considered public records, we appealed. Eventually, the appeal was partially successful, and a Prehospital Care Report was released.
However, the patient care record was heavily redacted – perhaps illegally so. Even the time of the incident was expunged.
“While the record did confirm that there was a medical emergency and patient transport from FPA Women’s Health, all that was left on this record about the woman’s condition was that she was breathing at the time paramedics treated her,” said Troy Newman, President of Operation Rescue. “The over-redactions were so egregious, that we have been forced to seek legal assistance to compel the City of Los Angeles to comply with California public records laws.”
The California Public Records Act allows for redactions of patient-identifying information, such as name, address, social security number, etc. Once those minimal redactions are completed, the law allows the rest of the record to be publicly released.
“We never seek patient-identifying information anyway, so we are fine with redactions of that nature, but the redactions in the Prehospital Care Report appear to be more about covering up for the abortion business than anything else.” said Newman. “There are known standard-of-care issues with this particular abortion chain. If this facility and its abortionist are posing a public health hazard, we all have a right to know that.”
Life Legal Defense Foundation is representing Operation Rescue in this and several other public records disputes across the nation. Updates will be posted as they become available.
