Go figure!
President Cecile Richards [Daughter of Ann Richards, former Texas governor]
Planned Parenthood Federation of America and Planned Parenthood Action Fund
Cecile Richards is a nationally respected leader in the field of women’s health
and reproductive rights. As president of Planned Parenthood Federation of
America and the Planned Parenthood Action Fund, Ms. Richards leads a national
organization that has worked for nearly 100 years to build a healthier and safer
world for women and teens. Every year, through more than 750 affiliate health
centers nationwide, Planned Parenthood provides health care services to nearly
three million patients, and sex education to more than one million people. Its
website — plannedparenthood.org — receives 43 million visits a year from
individuals seeking health care services and education in both English and
Spanish.
Since joining Planned Parenthood in 2006, Ms. Richards has expanded the
organization’s advocacy for access to health care and ensured that Planned
Parenthood played a pivotal role in shaping health care coverage and services
for women under the Affordable Care Act. In 2011, she led an unprecedented
nationwide campaign to preserve access to Planned Parenthood preventive care
through federal programs. Under her leadership, the number of Planned Parenthood
supporters has doubled, reaching more than seven million.
Before joining Planned Parenthood, Ms. Richards served as deputy chief of staff
for House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi. In 2004, she founded and served as
president of America Votes, a coalition of 42 national grassroots organizations
working to maximize registration, education, and voter participation.
Ms. Richards began her career organizing low-wage workers in the hotel, health
care, and janitorial industries throughout California, Louisiana, and Texas. The
daughter of former Texas Governor Ann Richards, Ms Richards was raised in a
family committed to social justice and public service. She worked side by side
with her mother on her very first campaign — the successful election to the
state legislature of Sarah Weddington, the lawyer who argued the landmark 1973
U.S. Supreme Court case Roe v. Wade, which legalized abortion nationwide.
Ms. Richards is a frequent speaker and commentator on issues related to women’s
rights, reproductive health, and sex education, and is a regular contributor to
The Huffington Post.
Ms. Richards currently serves on the board of the Ford Foundation. She and her
husband, Kirk Adams, have three children.
[Source: Planned Parenthood of America site]
Planned Parenthood's Margaret Sanger Interview
Delaware abortion clinic facing
charges of unsafe and unsanitary conditions
Wednesday, April 10, 2013
Wendy Saltzman
April 9, 2013 (WPVI) -- A local abortion clinic is under fire, facing
allegations of unsafe and unsanitary conditions.
A series of emergency calls made from the Planned Parenthood of Delaware this
year are raising concerns about what's happening behind the closed doors.
Two former nurses who both quit are speaking exclusively with Action News about
what they saw inside.
Jayne Mitchell-Werbrich, former employee said, "It was just unsafe. I couldn't
tell you how ridiculously unsafe it was."
Werbrich alleges conditions inside the facility were unsanitary.
"He didn't wear gloves," said Werbrich.
Another former employee, Joyce Vasikonis told Action News, "They were using
instruments on patients that were not sterile."
The former nurses claim that a rush to get patients in and out left operating
tables soiled and unclean.
Werbrich said "It's not washed down, it's not even cleaned off. It has bloody
drainage on it."
"They could be at risk of getting hepatitis, even AIDS," added Vasikonis.
Both of these nurses said, they quit to protect their own medical licenses,
stunned by what they called a meat-market style of assembly-line abortions.
Vasikonis said, "I felt I could be held liable if a patient was harmed."
"Planned Parenthood needs to close its doors, it's needs to be cleaned up, the
staff needs to be trained, said Werbrich."
In Delaware, abortion clinics are not subject to routine inspections. The state
only steps in when they have a patient complaint. Planned Parenthood is
essentially in charge of inspecting itself.
Mary Peterson from the Delaware Department of Health and Human Services said, "I
am not going to lie to you, we don't have the manpower to do routine
inspections."
She says, her investigators went into the facility in October of last year after
a complaint.
We asked Peterson, did they find any problems with the sterilization of
utensils. She told us "no, no." We then asked if blood was being left after one
patient had surgery and another one came in, she replied, "absolutely none."
Investigators say, they have not found evidence to support the claims raised by
Vasikonis and Werbrich.
Since January 4th, five patients allegedly have been rushed from the facility to
the emergency room, again placing the clinic in the spotlight.
Peterson says, it raises concerns and they are in the process of looking into
what is causing the issues to occur.
Action News has learned during our investigation that one doctor and two more
nurses at the clinic have mysteriously left.
Planned Parenthood would not confirm if they were fired or resigned.
In a statement, the new CEO, Ruth Lytle-Barnaby told Action News:
"Planned Parenthood of Delaware has provided high-quality services for more than
80 years. Each year, we provide confidential, compassionate care that includes
breast cancer screenings, birth control, prevention and treatment of STDs, Pap
tests, sexual health education, abortion, and health counseling to more than
11,000 women, men and teens in all three Delaware counties.
Planned Parenthood's medical standards and guidelines are informed by the most
trusted medical knowledge as well as professional and scientific organizations
such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Food and Drug
Administration, the United States Preventive Services Task Force, and the
American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.
In my role as the new CEO of Planned Parenthood of Delaware, recently my staff
and I launched a review of patient services. I determined that we need to take
immediate steps to assure our patients of our high-quality care, including
enacting immediate personnel changes. We do not tolerate employees that fail to
meet our standards for patient care and services.
Ensuring high-quality care and maintaining the valued trust of our community is
of the utmost importance. In addition to the significant steps I have already
taken, at my invitation, a team of medical experts from our national office is
on site to confirm we are addressing every concern. We are confident patient
care is high quality, but if we identify any additional issues with our quality
of services we are prepared to take swift action. Any employee who does not live
up to our standards of patient care will be terminated. Patient health and
safety has always been and remains our top priority."
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