Haley-requested probe of abortion clinics results in possible closure of facilities in Columbia, Greenville

Less than a month after Gov. Nikki Haley asked for a review of state abortion clinics, health regulators on Friday suspended the licenses of centers in Columbia and Greenville and referred their findings to criminal investigators for further review.

The two clinics under review are among only three in the state that perform abortions.

Planned Parenthood, which operates the clinic in Columbia, expressed dismay at Friday’s action, saying in a statement it had received no indication that the findings in a recent inspection were enough to warrant drastic measures.

Planned Parenthood said its Columbia facility was inspected less than a year ago and found to be in “100 percent compliance” with all state regulations.

“We are deeply concerned that this investigation is politically motivated and that this political interference could prevent some women from getting high-quality care,” the organization said in a statement Friday evening.

But in a mid-afternoon news release, Haley applauded DHEC’s efforts to look into practices and procedures at clinics in Columbia, Greenville and Charleston and to seek help from the State Law Enforcement Division.

DHEC’s action would result in closure of the clinics in Columbia and Greenville on Sept. 28 unless they make improvements or the DHEC board is asked for a review of the decision, the agency said Friday.

“This is completely unacceptable,” Haley said of the violations.

“I fully support DHEC’s actions, including its referral of the matter to SLED,” Haley’s statement said. “South Carolina is a compassionate state, and we are a state of laws. We will not tolerate law breaking of any kind, particularly as it relates to the callous treatment of human life."

According to records released by DHEC, inspectors found 21 violations of state laws at the Columbia clinic on Middleburg Drive, fining the facility $7,500. DHEC also fined the Greenville Women’s Clinic $2,750 after finding six violations. Greenville’s clinic is not a Planned Parenthood facility.

The 21 violations alleged by DHEC in Columbia ranged from failure to maintain proper paperwork to having expired medicines and storing sterile gloves with non-sterile material.

The citation also said the clinic did not properly incinerate medical waste and that the water in clinic bathrooms was too hot. According to manifests, fetuses from the Columbia and Greenville clinics were sterilized with steam and taken to a landfill, rather than incinerated or buried as required by law, the Associated Press reported. The violations cited at both places also included performing an abortion sooner than 60 minutes after an ultrasound.

Haley, a possible contender for national political office, had asked for a review of the clinics after an outcry, fueled by Republicans, over videos that purportedly show Planned Parenthood officials elsewhere discussing the collection of fetal organs for research.

Planned Parenthood officials have repeatedly said none of its clinics in the South Atlantic region participates in fetal tissue collection.

Haley told DHEC to pay special attention to Planned Parenthood facilities.

“Over the past weeks, I have been shocked by recent accounts of unethical practices at clinics affiliated with Planned Parenthood,” Haley, a Republican, wrote in a letter to DHEC director Catherine Heigel last month.

The group responded to Friday’s action by saying it was “shocked.”

“Planned Parenthood South Atlantic was inspected by DHEC earlier this month over the course of two days,” the statement said. “After intense scrutiny, senior ... patient services staff met with DHEC inspectors to review the findings. DHEC gave no indication at that time that they found any violations that warranted today’s extreme action.”

SLED spokesman Thom Berry said his agency would look at records provided by DHEC, but it was too early to determine if that would lead to a criminal probe. Attorney General Alan Wilson’s said he is working with SLED to determine if “criminal action” by authorities is warranted.

In addition to actions against the abortion clinics, DHEC said it had cited two companies that transport waste for Planned Parenthood’s clinic in Columbia and the Greenville Women’s Clinic.

DHEC’s swift action to suspend licenses is unusual for the agency. The department, overseen by a Haley-appointed board, is often criticized for moving too slowly to correct public health problems or stop pollution.

Lynn Bailey, a health care advocate and frequent DHEC critic, said the violations she was aware of don’t appear serious enough for the type of enforcement orders issued Friday. The standard procedure would be to meet with the clinics first, before taking enforcement action, Bailey said.

“This is about politics,” she said. “This is not about the quality of health care.”

This story was originally published September 11, 2015 at 3:21 PM with the headline "Haley-requested probe of abortion clinics results in possible closure of facilities in Columbia, Greenville."