After the conviction of late-term abortionist Kermit Gosnell on murder charges, Operation Rescue has been repeatedly asked if there is any evidence that similar practices exist at abortion clinics elsewhere in the nation. That documentation has now been released.
Operation Rescue arranged to have Life Dynamics, Inc. produce a video interview, released yesterday, with three informants who came to Operation Rescue as the result of our Abortion Whistleblowers Program, which offers a reward of $25,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of abortionists who are breaking the law.
The three informants, Deborah Edge, Gigi Aguliar, and Krystal Rodriguez, have come forward to tell of their horrific experiences working for abortionist Douglas Karpen, at one of three of his Texas abortion clinics, the Aaron Women’s Clinic in Houston. A fourth informant has co-operated with Operation Rescue, filing an affidavit about her experiences, but remains at this time anonymous.
As shocking as their stories are, these women did more than just talk; they brought forward evidence of illegal late-term abortions in the form of photos taken on their cell phones at the Karpen’s clinic on Schumacher Lane in Houston.
The photos were scandalous. They depicted two babies aborted well beyond the legal limit of 24 weeks in Texas. Their necks had been cut.
Photos of Babies 1 & 2
“The photos show babies that are huge, with gashes in their necks, indicating that these babies were likely born alive, then killed, just as Kermit Gosnell did at his ‘House of Horrors’ clinic in Philadelphia,” said Troy Newman, President of Operation Rescue. “In fact, there are numerous similarities between Karpen and the Gosnell case, including the disregarding of complaints by the authorities that allowed both men to continue their illegal operations.”
Signs of life
In both cases, the babies’ skin is pink, noting a lack of masceration, an early form of decomposition that happens in babies that die in the womb. Massive bruising on the extremities of one of the babies indicates the baby’s heart was pulsing with life when the trauma was inflicted likely when grasping instruments latched on to bring the baby down into the birth canal. The eyes of the other child are open in a nightmarish expression of pain, revealing development greater than 26-28 weeks. Both sets of photos were taken sometime in 2011.
The video interview of the three informants verified the worst.
“When he did an abortion, especially an over 20 week abortion, most of the time the fetus would come completely out before he cut the spinal cord or he introduced one of the instruments into the soft spot of the fetus, in order to kill the fetus,” said Deborah Edge, who worked as a surgical assistant for Karpen for about 15 years until leaving in March, 2011.
“I thought, well, it’s an abortion you know, that’s what he does, but I wasn’t aware that it was illegal…Most of the time we would see him where the fetus would come completely out and of course, the fetus would still be alive,” Edge continued.
How often did this happen?
“I think every morning I saw several, on several occasions,” she said. “If we had 20-something patients, of course ten, or twelve, or fifteen patients would be large procedures, and out of those large procedures, I’m pretty sure that I was seeing at least three or four fetuses that were completely delivered in some way or another,” said Edge, acknowledging that these babies would be alive.
She described how some babies would emerge too soon and would be alive, moving, and breathing. She also told of how Karpen would sometimes deliver the babies feet first with the toes wiggling until he stabbed them with a surgical implement. At the moment the toes would suddenly splay out before going limp. Sometimes he would kill the babies by “twisting the head off the neck,” according to Edge.
Women would be given doses of Cytotec, a drug that causes strong and unpredictable uterine contractions, and would deliver while they were waiting in line to see Karpen, some in toilets, one in the hallway.
“He just picked it up with one of those [chux] pads and put it in the trash bag,” said Krystal Rodriguez of the baby born in the hallway.
“As long as the patient had the cash, he was going to do it past 25 weeks,” she said.
But not all the babies came out intact. When there was difficulty, Karpen would dismember them, a process that was, according to the surgical assistant Deborah Edge, a bloody mess.
“Sometimes he couldn’t get the fetus out” she explained. “He would yank pieces – piece by piece – when they were oversize. And I’m talking about the whole floor dirty. I’m talking about me drenched in blood.”
Undercover investigation and a troubled past
It all began in early 2011, when Operation Rescue was conducting an undercover investigation of several Texas abortion clinics when it discovered that Karpen appeared to be violating the Texas informed consent law that required that abortionists give the state-mandated information personally on patient conference calls set up for that purpose. In addition to the improper use of a recording, he was not on the line to answer questions, as the law required. Operation Rescue’s Cheryl Sullenger filed a complaint with the Texas Medical Board concerning this violation.
Sullenger submitted a statement to the TMB noting Karpen’s documented history of problems, including series of botched abortions stretching back to 1988 when 15-year old Denise Montoya hemorrhaged and died after a 26-week abortion done by Karpen.
She told the TMB of a documented incident on February 6, 2005, when a sewer broke at Karpen’s Texas Ambulatory Surgical Center, located at 2421 N. Shepherd in Houston, causing sewage to spill into the parking lot of a neighboring car dealership. Maribeth Smith, an employee of the car dealership said she is convinced she saw human body parts mixed in with the sewage. She took photographs, believing the human tissue came from the clinic.
“Whether it’s legal or not, it’s not right,” Smith said. “This whole area is nothing but raw sewage and bloody pieces. There were little legs coming out from one side.”
A Health Department worker called 911 to report a second spill at the same abortion clinic. When asked who she was with she told the dispatcher, “Health Department…and we handle normal medical waste, but this is beyond us. He says he can see fetuses and fingers and everything.” (Emphasis in transcript.)
Sullenger hoped that the history of documented abuses would help convince the TMB to act swiftly to protect the public.
Whistleblower comes forward
The following month, Deborah Edge contacted Operation Rescue with her first-hand account Karpen’s practices after she had smuggled one of Operation Rescue’s Whistleblower flyers out of his clinic, knowing that she needed to call.
In addition to the accounts of the illegal late-term abortions, other abuses Edge witnessed included:
Falsification of ultrasounds to produce younger fetal ages of babies over the legal limit or older fetal ages to extract more money out of women.
Fraudulent billing practices.
Surgical equipment not properly sterilized.
Reuse of disposable instruments.
Unqualified workers drawing and administering drugs.
Late-term abortions done at 28 weeks and later. (Texas law permits only to 24 weeks.)
Lack of adequate nursing staff.
Concealing poorly kept logs from inspectors to prevent deficiency citations.
Hiring nurses through a temp agency to work only on days when inspections are scheduled.
Mistreating heavy women and inappropriately touching attractive women while under sedation.
Sexual harassment.
Edge explained that Karpen was able to evade detection by having his workers hide sanitation logs and other incriminating documentation from inspectors on the occasions they would come by the clinic.
“Karpen might have a little newer equipment and a little cleaner clinic, but his shoddy practices certainly mirror those of convicted murderer Kermit Gosnell. Certainly if anyone deserved Board discipline, it was this guy,” said Sullenger.
Excel Spreadsheets
Another piece of evidence was an Excel file that contained four months of abortion billing information for 2011. That file was given to Operation Rescue by an anonymous informant. The abortions listed all indicated that several abortion funds, including the National Abortion Federation Fund, the Hershey Fund, the Lilith Fund, and others had been billed for part of the abortion fee. The allegation made by the informant was that Karpen was bilking the funds out of money by over-billing them. While that allegation could not be substantiated by Operation Rescue, the list was revealing as to the price of the late-term abortions that the women all said were done beyond the legal limit and the amount of cash taken in to the clinic.
March, 2011, listed 33 abortions that were partially paid for with abortion funds or other sources. Over $38,000 in cash was paid by patients. The file showed 5 abortions that cost under $1,000, 7 abortions that were between $1,000-2,000, 12 abortions that cost between $2,000-$3,000, and 3 abortions that were over $3,000.
The greater the gestational age, the higher the abortion fee. How old were the two babies whose abortions cost $3,700? The file didn’t say, but the high figure seemed to confirm the allegations that abortions were being done very late — much later than 24 weeks.
Working together
Due to legal issues raised by the former clinic workers, Operation Rescue contacted attorneys at Alliance Defending Freedom, which handled many of the women’s legal concerns. Once the women quit their jobs, finances became an issue. Newman contacted Abby Johnson, whose new organization And Then There Were None, which offers support to former abortion clinic workers. She agreed to help the women with some financial assistance.
Amended complaint
The additional information gathered from Edge and the other women was quickly added to the original Texas Medical Board complaint filed earlier. Sullenger discussed the new information with TMB Inspector, Leslie Coe, who seemed to be conducting an investigation. As the other Karpen employees came forward with similar stories, their affidavits were submitted to Coe along with the video of violations taken inside the clinic and the photos of the huge babies Karpen had aborted.
Everything seemed to be progressing through the investigative process. The women were interviewed and Sullenger spoke on and off with Coe, who seemed cooperative and willing to take more information as it came in.
Settlement conference hearings were scheduled and hopes rose, but the hearings were repeatedly delayed and reset over the course of months until finally they were simply were not rescheduled.
“I thought that the additional information had sent the case back to the investigative phase and that the Board just needed more time to process everything. Medical Boards take a very long time to work through things. After being involved in numerous Board actions against abortionists, the delays seemed normal,” said Sullenger. “But apparently they weren’t.”
Mysterious dismissal
But then something changed.
“It was like someone turned the spigot off. Ms. Coe stopped returning my calls and did not acknowledge my e-mails. I could not account for the change in attitude,” said Sullenger. “Then I got the letter dismissing the case and was completely stunned by it.”
The letter, dated February 8, 2013, stated:
The investigation referenced above has been dismissed because the Board determined there was insufficient evidence to prove that a violation of the Medical Practices Act occurred. Specifically, this investigation determined that Dr. Karpen did not violate the laws connected with the practice of medicine and there is no evidence of inappropriate behavior, therefore no further action will be taken.
“I couldn’t believe what I was reading,” said Sullenger. “How could anyone look at those pictures of the two babies and still say ‘there is no evidence of inappropriate behavior’? No one even bothered to sign the letter.”
Going public
With the TMB out of the picture, Sullenger sought an opportunity to get the women’s stories recorded and evidence released to the public, an effort that required her to negotiate unexpected delays.
Then, while Sullenger was in Philadelphia reporting on the Kermit Gosnell murder trial, Mark Crutcher of the Texas-based Life Dynamics, Inc., a close associate of Operation Rescue’s, was able to make arrangements to get the interviews recorded.
The Gosnell trial and his convictions on 3 counts of first degree murder for severing the spinal cords of babies born alive during abortions at his filthy West Philadelphia abortion clinic has focused the national abortion debate onto the question of whether Gosnell’s behavior was an anomaly. Often in the courtroom conversation amongst reporters, many with very liberal world views, would shift to questions about whether others like Gosnell were out there breaking the law and subjecting women – and their viable babies that the law was supposed to protect – to unspeakable atrocities.
“Douglas Karpen is so like Kermit Gosnell that it is uncanny, from the illegal late-term abortions, to killing babies born alive, to even the sewers clogged with fetal remains,” said Sullenger. “But the most disturbing thing is that we know there are others out there who are maybe even worse than Gosnell and Karpen, who just have not been caught yet. How many? There’s just no way to tell, but that thought should give everyone pause to think. Can we really afford to allow abortion clinics to run amok without accountability? When we do, we get places like Gosnell’s ‘House of Horrors” and Karpen’s apparently illicit operation. The ones that pay the price for the lack of enforcement and oversight are those who can’t defend themselves from exploitation by men like them.”
Enforcement elusive
While states continue to enact pro-life laws that are designed to provide greater oversight and accountability to an out-of-control abortion industry, the matter of enforcement still remains the biggest challenge to bringing abortionists like Gosnell and Karpen to justice.
For years, Gosnell evaded accountability, shielded by a political atmosphere that ignored complaints and refused to inspect clinics out of fear of limiting access to abortions. That political climate was one in which Gosnell thrived. Karpen appears to enjoy the benefits of a similar political climate in Texas, which has inexplicably chosen to ignore a total of four former employees and the images of the babies Karpen dispatched in a similar manner that earned Gosnell two life sentences in prison.
Operation Rescue has finally made public Karpen’s identity in order to attempt bypass the stonewalling of the TMB and bring him to justice.
“We are asking all those who were appalled by the details of Gosnell’s behavior that have come out throughout the trial to take action to bring Karpen to justice in a court of law,” said Newman. “We know that it is possible to prosecute him because of the outcome of the Gosnell trial. We just need prosecutors like those in Philadelphia who are willing and courageous enough to enforce the law.”
Time Running Out for Congress to Stop the HHS Abortion Mandate, Help Needed
/0 Comments/in Uncategorized /by News RoomTime is running out to protect the freedom of conscience guaranteed by the First Amendment. But, by acting now to urge Congress to pass the conscience protections in H.R. 940, the Health Care Conscience Rights Act—those rights can be protected.
Sadly, the very coercive HHS mandate under the Affordable Care Act (or Obamacare) takes full effect as of August 1st. Currently for-profit businesses, despite the religious beliefs of their owners, must provide coverage of sterilizations and life-ending drugs and devices including the abortion-inducing drug ella—even if doing so violates their most cherished religious convictions. Some religious non-profit organizations are shielded from that, but as of August 1, even those conscience protections will expire.
While issues surrounding this mandate are being litigated, that provides no consolation—there will be no definitive decision by the Supreme Court before August 1. Thus, conscientious business owners will certainly find themselves between the proverbial rock and a hard place—having to choose between fines so great they force a shutdown (at $100 per employee per day) or violation of their Constitutionally-guaranteed rights of conscience.
Congress must act to correct this abuse. The time is now to pass H.R. 940, the Health Care Rights of Conscience Act.
First, H.R. 940 protects people affected by the coercive HHS Mandate. And it goes further: by protecting people subject to other kinds of abortion-related discrimination and violations of conscience rights. It even adds a private right of action (a right to sue in court) for people who are denied their conscience rights, such as Cathy Decarlo—the nurse from New York who was forced to participate in a late-term abortion.
There are three ways that you can encourage Congress to pass H.R. 940, the Health Care Conscience Rights Act:
1.) You can visit your Representatives in their district offices. This week, May 28-June 1, is their constituent-work week. This is the week that Congressmen are in their districts and available to meet with constituents there. Call the district office of your Representative to set up a meeting. Then meet with your Representative and explain how important it is to you and your community that Congress restores legal protections for freedom of conscience that have been attacked by the HHS Mandate. Tell your Representative that you support H.R. 940.
2.) You can email your Congressman and tell him or her to protect freedom of conscience by including H.R. 940 in “must pass” legislation.
3.) You can write a letter to the editor for your local newspaper urging your Congressman to ensure that any “must pass” legislation include the protections for freedom of conscience in H.R. 940. Letters to the editor are a great way to send a loud and clear message to your Representatives asking them to take action to protect freedom of conscience.
Your Congressmen need your encouragement to act on this important issue. Time is running out before the coercive HHS Mandate takes full effect, and ordinary Americans have to decide if they are going to close their doors or violate their consciences rights. Contact your Representative today!
Abandoned Baby Rescued From Sewage Pipe Doing Better, Mother Found
/0 Comments/in Uncategorized /by News RoomThe abandoned baby who was rescued this past weekend from a sewage pipe in China is being nursed back to health in a local hospital. Meanwhile, the baby’s mother has been found and has reportedly been reunited with the infant.
Firefighters in an eastern Chinese province rescued a an apparently-abandoned newborn infant from a sewage pipe after neighbors reported hearing crying. Officials in China’s Zhejiang Province rescued the infant on Saturday afternoon.
Reports from Chinese media indicated the baby was found in the toilet sewage pipe in a residential building in the city of Jinhua after residents on the fourth floor called the fire department with reports of a baby crying.
Now, the London Daily Mail has new pictures of the baby and additional information:
The baby boy’s mother – believed to be a 22-year-old single woman – has been found and is said to be with her baby in hospital.
The infant- named Baby No. 59 from the number of his hospital incubator – was in a critical condition when he arrived at the hospital with an apparent fracture to his skull.
But the baby boy has been pictured being nursed back to health in hospital as staff reveal his condition is now stable.
Nurse Zhang Songhe of the pediatric department of the Pujiang County People’s Hospital in the city of Jinhua, Zhejiang province, East China, told the Daily Mail: ‘When the baby arrived here, he was in critical condition.
‘We suspect he has a fracture in the top right section of his skull. But now everything has been stabilized.’
Staff at the Pujiang County People’s Hospital in Jinhua, Zhejiang Province, said well-wishers have visited the hospital with diapers, baby clothes and powered milk for the child
The nurse added that the mother of the baby has been found and is currently with her child in hospital.
They said: ‘The mother has been found. She is right now in the hospital. I heard she is a 22 year-old single woman. I don’t know the reason she abandoned the baby.
Nurse Zhang Songhe added that news of the rescue prompted an outpouring from strangers who came to the hospital with diapers, baby clothes, powdered milk and offers to adopt the child.
The nurse continued: ‘There have been three or four groups of visitors delivering baby formula some of whom have expressed willingness to adopt.
Pennsylvania Pastors’ Network Urges Pastors to Connect Biblical Principles to Moral and Cultural Issues
/0 Comments/in Release /by News RoomPHILADELPHIA – In a recent survey commissioned by the Pennsylvania Pastor’s Network (PPN, www.papastors.net), only 78% of self-identified evangelical pastors agreed that the Bible is a reliable source of absolute truth. 21% of pastors admitted they either may not or definitely would not teach that life is a sacred gift from God.
Sam Rohrer, President of PPN, states, “As our nation turns our back on God and His Word we will not only lose our civil and religious freedoms but we will receive the judgment of God. The Lord warned His people clearly in Deuteronomy 8 that if we forget that our blessings come from Him and think that we got them by ourselves, we will end up losing all we have. The time for Christians to repent of self-dependency and return to the Lord in obedience is now. The time for pastors in the pulpit to lead the way by teaching and preaching biblical principles as the solution to our problems is now. The time to address the moral and cultural issues of our day with Truth and boldness is now.”
Rohrer’s view is not new; famed historian Alexis de Toqueville in the early 1800’s had issued a similar viewpoint when he stated “Liberty cannot be established without morality, nor morality without faith.” George Washington, often referred to as the “Father of our Country,” has often been quoted as saying “Of all the dispositions and habits which lead to political prosperity, religion and morality are indispensable supports…. And let us with caution indulge the supposition that morality can be maintained without religion.” History is replete with great thinkers, philosophers, and leaders who recognized that there is a natural law which governs the entire universe, including the affairs of men, and that when men/women decide to abandon the principles of that Natural Law, societal decay is inevitable.
The PA Pastors’ Network is urging churches around the state to commit to preaching on the first Sunday of every month on a topic of cultural or moral relevance, using the Bible as the foundation of all truth. The hope is that by providing Christians with increased teaching about what the Bible says about moral issues, Christians will live out their faith with greater diligence and consistency in all aspects of life.
As part of their commitment to support pastors in preaching boldly from a Biblical worldview, PPN offers sermon notes on a variety of cultural topics, like same-sex marriage, family, and abortion, among others. The PA Pastors’ Network also offers bulletin inserts. To request any of these resources in advance of the next Pulpit Sunday, pastors or lay people can contact the Pennsylvania Pastors’ Network at http://www.papastors.net/contact. Pastors who want to participate in the next Pulpit Sunday can get more details on the organization’s website at http://www.papastors.net.
The Pennsylvania Pastors’ Network is a group of biblically faithful clergy and church liaisons whose objective is to build a permanent infrastructure of like-minded clergy who affirm the authority of Scripture, take seriously Jesus’ command to be the “salt and light” to the culture, encourage informed Christian thinking about contemporary social issues; examine public policy issues without politicizing their pulpits and engage their congregations in taking part in our political process on a non-partisan basis.
The Pennsylvania Pastors’ Network website continues to offer a wealth of resources to pastors to help them equip their congregations to live a Christian life, from sermon notes to corporate prayers for our nation, to resources for laypeople, covering everything from preparation to finances.
The Pennsylvania Pastors’ Network is a part of Let Freedom Ring, Inc., a 501c(4) non-profit organization. To contact them visit. www.papastors.net or call 610-793-1800.
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To schedule interviews with Sam Rohrer, President of the PA Pastors’ Network, contact Deborah Hamilton at dhamilton@hamiltonstrategies.com, 215-815-7716 or 610-584-1096.
Boy Scouts Change Membership Guidelines to Allow Homosexuals
/0 Comments/in Uncategorized /by News RoomThe Boy Scouts of America (BSA) have reversed their longstanding membership guidelines to allow homosexuals to join the organization.
In an email to CNSNews.com, the BSA public affairs office said the vote on the resolution to “remove the restriction denying membership to youth on the basis of sexual orientation alone” was passed with 61.44 percent in favor and 38.56 percent opposed.
“For 103 years, the Boy Scouts of America has been a part of the fabric of this nation, with a focus on working together to deliver the nation’s foremost youth program of character development and values-based leadership training,” a statement released to the media says.
The statement includes a ban on all sex in scouting activities and says that the voting body did not consider whether to allow homosexuals in leadership positions in the organization.
“The resolution also reinforces that Scouting is a youth program, and any sexual conduct, whether heterosexual or homosexual, by youth of Scouting age is contrary to the virtues of Scouting,” the statement says. “A change to the current membership policy for adult leaders was not under consideration; thus, the policy for adults remains in place.”
Boy Scouts Change Membership Guidelines to Allow Homosexuals
(AP Photo)
Reaction to the vote-results announcement was immediate, including a statement from John Stemberg, founder of OnMyHonor.net, a coalition of members of the BSA, including parents, Scoutmasters and Eagle Scouts.
“It is with great sadness and deep disappointment that we recognize on this day that the most influential youth program in America has turned a tragic corner,” Stemberg said. “The vote today to allow open and avowed homosexuality into Scouting will completely transform it into an unprincipled and risky proposition for parents.”
“It is truly a sad day for Scouting,” Stemberg said.
But gay rights activists praised the decision and are already pushing for a lift on the ban of openly gay adults in leadership positions.
“This vote marks a monumental step forward for the Boy Scouts of America,” Rea Carey, executive director of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, said in a statement. “We are thrilled for the gay youth who will no longer be turned away from scouting simply because of who they are.”
“This milestone has been years in the making, and we thank all those who have fought so hard to end this grave injustice against our young people,” Carey said.
“Boy Scouts’ leadership should stop clinging to a policy of exclusion and scrap the ban, once and for all. It’s long past time for a fully inclusive Boy Scouts of America,” Carey said.
“This policy change is effective Jan. 1, 2014, allowing the Boy Scouts of America the transition time needed to communicate and implement this policy to its approximately 116,000 Scouting units,” the BSA statement said.
Fox News Host Blasts Gosnell Attorney: “How Can You Defend Him?”
/0 Comments/in Uncategorized /by News RoomFox News host Megyn Kelly, who is pregnant, took Kermit Gosnell’s defense attorney to task Wednesday afternoon in an interview, saying the way he acted in the court room and in interviews afterwards makes it appear he thinks Gosnell is “a swell man.”
“We don’t tar the attorney with the sins of the client,” Kelly told Gosnell attorney Jack McMahon, but she scolded him for defending Gosnell after the trial, saying “he wasn’t upset when he was aborting these babies and laughing how one child, one baby was big enough to walk him to the bus stop.”
McMahon claimed he had a human reaction to defending a client for so long but went on to call the abortion practitioner a “dream client” and “complete gentleman.” he went on to admit that things went “a bit awry” at Gosnell’s abortion facility.
“A bit awry?” Kelly shot back. “The testimony was the babies were born alive, were wriggling on the operating table, were crying. And he stuck scissors in the back of their neck.”
After a heated exchange which saw McMahon defend Gosnell further and claim the conditions at Gosnell’s abortion clinic were not that bad, Kelly responded, “All we need to know is [Gosnell] tried to abort them and failed and then he tried to kill them.”
“Jack, I started off by saying we don’t tar the lawyers with the sins of clients, and that’s true,” Kelly told him. “But listening to you, you sound like a guy who is suffering from Stockholm Syndrome. Because you seem to believe this is a swell man — notwithstanding the fact that he murdered little babies!”
“They were born alive, sir! They were born alive!” she added. “How do you come out and defend him now?”
'Obamacare' Costs Would Rise Even Higher With Labor Union 'Fix'
/0 Comments/in Uncategorized /by News RoomLabor union leaders are complaining they are getting shortchanged by the Affordable Care Act, or “Obamacare.” They are asking the White House to allow the health care exchange subsidies to be used for their worker’s health care plans, which could dramatically increase the cost of the ACA.
In an op-ed for The Hill, Joseph Hansen, president of United Food and Commercial Workers International Union, claims that, unlike what President Barack Obama promised labor leaders during his 2008 campaign, many workers now represented by a labor union will lose their current health insurance when the new law goes into effect.
The problem, Hansen says, is the ACA will pass higher costs, without additional cost-saving benefits, onto the non-profit health care plans that their members have negotiated with their employers, thus encouraging the employers to drop the health coverage altogether. Their workers would then get health insurance through the health care exchanges, or through Medicaid, if they are eligible.
For labor unions to be treated fairly, he argues, they should get the same subsidies as those who get their health care in the new law’s health care exchanges that will be set up in each state.
“The ACA offers a subsidy to lower-income individuals and families so they can afford to purchase this insurance. As many of our members fall into this category, we believe the subsidy can and should apply to nonprofit plans. All we want is equality – where our plans are treated the same as for-profit insurers,” he wrote.
Hansen goes on to argue that the change in the law he is requesting can, and should, be made through the executive branch, not Congress. Thus far, though, the White House has refused, “citing legal hurdles.”
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“We’d be open to a legislative fix, but ultimately this is the administration’s responsibility. They are leading the regulatory process. It’s their signature law,” he said.
Hansen is not the first labor leader to complain about the impact the ACA will have on their member’s health care plans.
The United Food and Commercial Workers International Union and the United Union of Roofers, Waterproofers and Allied Workers have both called for repeal or reform of the ACA, The Hill reported.
The subsidies to help low income workers to buy health insurance are paid for in the ACA through additional taxes on companies that provide health insurance, health care devices and prescription drugs.
Some economists are already estimating that the costs of the new law will be much higher than expected because more companies than expected will drop their health coverage altogether, thus putting more workers in the subsidized exchanges or government-run Medicaid. If labor’s employer-provided non-profit plans are also subsidized, the costs of the ACA will rise even higher.
Labor unions are among the Democratic Party’s most important supporters. In an interview with The Hill, though, Hansen warned that if the White House does not give labor unions what they want, they will withhold support in the 2014 election.
“What happens in 2014 could be at issue here. … There is going to be a lot of disenchantment with how did this happen and who was in power when it happened. No matter what I say, that’s going to be there,” he said. “They are upset already and it hasn’t even taken effect already.”
Oklahoma Tornado Rips City Leaving At Least 91 Dead; Christian Relief Groups Move In
/0 Comments/in Uncategorized /by News RoomAs darkness fell on the tornado-ripped community of Moore, Okla., and the severely damaged areas surrounding Oklahoma City on Monday, at least 91 people, including children, were reported dead as the search for survivors continued. Many undamaged and secure structures, such as churches, served as emergency shelters for those whose homes were destroyed as the result of the 200 mph winds. Government-funded disaster relief teams were joined by faith-based organizations, some already mobilized from previous disaster efforts, for immediate action.
A frantic search for students, teachers and staff at the flattened Plaza Towers Elementary in Moore, which was in the storm’s direct path, continued into Tuesday morning. Reports indicate that 75 third-graders were believed to have been huddled when the tornado struck, with seven now confirmed dead, a number of students showing up alive at a nearby church, and many still missing.
Christian leaders and churches quickly moved into action post-storm by offering housing, comfort, and counseling. On Twitter, #PrayForOklahoma trended most of Monday and into Tuesday morning.
Oakcrest Church of Christ in Oklahoma City, which was still housing evacuees from a storm earlier this month, was open again as a shelter. A group of quilters who usually donate their work to homes for children brought their blankets to the church for displaced residents, said Christyann Anderson, the assistant to Pastor Ben Glover, as reported by Bloomberg News.
Life Bible Church in Norman was open for commuters who could not get home because of the threat of more severe weather or were displaced. Jayson John, a pastor at the church, tweeted late Monday: “We will be picking people up at the Chik-fil-a in Moore who need rides to shelter. Also counselors available at the church 4343 N Flood.”
St. Andrews Church in Oklahoma City also opened as an official shelter.
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Christian-based organization Samaritan’s Purse was one of several relief-experienced groups that responded to the series of vicious storms that pounded the Oklahoma City area Sunday and Monday. The ministry reported on Monday that its staff members were on their way to the affected area to determine how it can help the people impacted by the tornadoes. Two Disaster Relief Units were being deployed from its North Carolina headquarters.
Samaritan’s Purse gave this report: “A mile-wide twister pounded the Oklahoma City suburbs Monday, leveling homes, businesses and schools in Moore. The funnel cloud could be seen for miles, creating a debris field several miles wide. Weather officials estimated the strength of the tornado to be an EF-4 or EF-5, with radar estimates suggesting it had the potential to produce 200 mph winds.”
Samaritan’s Purse responded when Moore was hit hard by a tornado in 1999. That storm included the highest winds ever recorded near the earth’s surface, 302 mph, and killed 36 people. On Sunday, another large tornado hit Shawnee, a town southeast of Oklahoma City, leveling several mobile homes, overturning vehicles, and killing at least one person, according to news reports.
Meanwhile, the Billy Graham Rapid Response Team, which shares the same CEO, Franklin Graham, with Samaritan’s Purse, sent chaplains to Moore, Okla., in coordination with Samaritan’s Purse.
“Our hearts are breaking for all of those in the path of this horrific tornado. Words can’t do justice to the pain that is being experienced in and around Moore,” said Jack Munday, international director of the Billy Graham Rapid Response Team. “Please pray continously for all of those who lost loved ones, and for those who may still be trapped amidst the rubble.”
The storms were part of a severe system that generated tornadoes in Kansas, Oklahoma, and Iowa. Dozen of counties in Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa, Oklahoma, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, and Missouri were placed under tornado watches and warnings.
Samaritan’s Purse reports that it already responded to tornadoes that hit Hood County in Texas on Wednesday night. Volunteers began helping in Granbury on Monday, the first day the group of volunteers was allowed into the affected area.
The Salvation Army is also in the process of mobilizing disaster response units to serve hard-hit areas in Central Oklahoma, including Moore and South Oklahoma City.
On Monday, the faith-based organization went into Pottawatomie County where the McAlester and Shawnee disaster response teams served multiple locations in the Shawnee area, including devastated neighborhoods and rural areas throughout the night and day. Around 3:00 pm all units were pulled into safety as tremendous storms threatened the area. Response teams will be out once again upon an all-clear, say officials with Salvation Army.
In Lincoln County, the Enid canteen provided breakfast, lunch and dinner to the Carney area throughout the early morning hours and all day Monday. In Cleveland County, the Central Oklahoma Area Command Disaster Service Unit responded to the Little Axe area with meals on Monday. The Salvation Army was responding, even as one of our Salvation Army family member’s home was destroyed.
The organization said that monetary donations are the most critical need as supplies and personnel are mobilized. Donors are encouraged to give online at www.SalvationArmyUSA.org or by calling 1-800-SAL-ARMY (1-800-725-2769).
March for Orphans Brings Attention to Broken International Adoption System
/0 Comments/in Uncategorized /by News RoomWASHINGTON – About 500 people, representing 37 states, gathered Friday in Washington, D.C., for the “Step Forward for Orphans March.” The marchers had firsthand experience with the brokenness of the international adoption system. Some came with the children they struggled to adopt, others marched with photos of the children they have adopted, or want to adopt but are unable to due to political barriers put in the way.
“Today the process is so restrictive, and so bureaucratic and so broken, we are really actually prohibiting families and kids from coming together. It’s nuts,” Craig Juntunen, president and founder of Both Ends Burning, told The Christian Post as he was marching.
The march, he explained, is the beginning of the “unstuck social movement” which will “form the social and political will to get kids out of orphanages and into families.”
Both Ends Burning sponsored the march and other events this past week. The march marks the end of the “Stuck” bus tour. “Stuck” is a documentary that explains the brokenness of the international adoption system by following the struggles of three families that ran into difficulties when they tried to adopt. The film can be downloaded at stuckdocumentary.com.
Juntunen told the marchers that Both Ends Burning plans to open an office in Washington, D.C., in the next year, and to build a 50 state organization to promote adoption as a solution for kids without a family.
“We’ve got to create a transformation of our societal priorities,” Juntunen explained. “We’ve got to make family a crux and a core value, and once family does become that and we recognize the significance of a family for every child, we can be motivated to get to work, to change policy, to change procedure, and ultimately find a more sensible, streamlined, and consolidated approach that is going to open a path for kids to get into families.”
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Albert and Robin Sarkees were marching for their son, Mika, who they have not been able to bring home from Guatemala after adoptions were closed in that country. Mika will be 6 years old next month. Mika is still in Guatemala, Robin Sarkees told The Christian Post, because of “illegal government acts to keep him from coming to the U.S.” They currently have appeals in Guatemala and are waiting on a court decision.
Becky Gerig, whose adoption story was profiled last year by The Christian Post, was also at the march. Gerig said she hopes that lawmakers will understand that the issue is “not about policy, it’s about humans.”
A bill will be introduced by Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-La.), called “Children and Families First,” Gerig explained. She is hopeful that the bill, once passed, “will help things in the international adoption community, keep out corruption, and make the process less bureaucratic and more logical.”
Conservative author and radio talk show personality Laura Ingraham spoke at the end of the march. Ingraham is herself an adoptive parent, and knows firsthand about the difficulties in the international adoption system. She has a daughter from Guatemala and two sons from Russia.
Ingraham promised the marchers that fixing the international adoption system will be her highest priority and she will “try to be the best ambassador I can be.”
“I promise you this today … that I will do everything in my power … to break this logjam internationally and make it easier for people,” she said.
The system needs appropriate safeguards and background checks, she added, but it needs to be done in a way that will “make it easier for people to have the families they deserve, they want, and that will serve the children, serve them beautifully, compassionately, charitably and lovely.”
Last year, The Christian Post ran a series about the broken international adoption system that can be found here: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4.
Pro-Abortion Planned Parenthood’s New Ad Campaign: Your Baby Will Thank You
/0 Comments/in Uncategorized /by News RoomWashington, DC (LiveActionNews) — The other day, I was in the middle of doing research online when I stumbled across a Planned Parenthood ad.
Planned Parenthood, over the years, has run some pretty shocking ad campaigns. Without a doubt, this one is the worst I’ve ever seen:
This ad proves that insanity can indeed reach new heights.
Planned Parenthood recently coined its “Care. No matter what.” slogan, around the same time the abortion giant decided that claiming to be “pro-choice” wasn’t the best way to win people to their side. Now, it’s insane to claim to “care” when your work is actually killing. (Insanity is defined as “extreme irrationality.”) But to claim that the ones you kill will “thank you”? I honestly can’t imagine more insane or irrational logic.
It seems as though Planned Parenthood enjoys facing the truth and running in the complete opposite direction, spinning a calculated lie, and claiming all the while that the opposite of the truth is actually true – for the supposed benefit of women everywhere.
The thought process must go something like this:
Truth: Babies suffer during abortions./Babies are ripped apart during abortions./Babies are deprived of life during abortions.
Planned Parenthood: Babies enjoy suffering./Babies enjoy getting ripped apart./Babies enjoy being deprived of life. (Just like we all would, right?!)
Truth: Women want to think their babies are happy and not suffering.
Planned Parenthood: Even though we are in the business of ensuring that thousands of babies are never born, let’s run an ad showing a happy, healthy, smiling baby (something we don’t create, but who cares?!) being held by her mother. And let’s add in the slogan, “Your baby will thank you.” That way, women will think of a happy, smiling baby as they are lying on the table, going through an abortion (and their babies are being sucked apart or torn into pieces), and these women will think about how thankful their baby is.
Honestly, I don’t have a clue what could possibly have been running through the mind of whatever insane person created this ad. But maybe it was something like that.
There should seriously be a prize for anyone who can come up with any sort of legitimate benefit that Planned Parenthood gives babies. How does Planned Parenthood help babies thank their moms? For what?
Planned Parenthood is forever talking about how it provides birth control. Right. A baby who was never born because her mother was on birth control is definitely going to thank Mom for that.
In some insane jump of non-logic, Planned Parenthood is attempting to convince women that their babies will “thank them” for visiting their local clinic. This is no better than Nazis posting signs of happy Jews, thanking the SS officers for the death camps – and the gas chambers in particular.
Let’s hope that our society isn’t as insane as Planned Parenthood must think we are.
Another Gosnell: Report Shows Texas Abortion Doc Kills Babies Born Alive
/0 Comments/in Uncategorized /by News RoomAfter the conviction of late-term abortionist Kermit Gosnell on murder charges, Operation Rescue has been repeatedly asked if there is any evidence that similar practices exist at abortion clinics elsewhere in the nation. That documentation has now been released.
Operation Rescue arranged to have Life Dynamics, Inc. produce a video interview, released yesterday, with three informants who came to Operation Rescue as the result of our Abortion Whistleblowers Program, which offers a reward of $25,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of abortionists who are breaking the law.
The three informants, Deborah Edge, Gigi Aguliar, and Krystal Rodriguez, have come forward to tell of their horrific experiences working for abortionist Douglas Karpen, at one of three of his Texas abortion clinics, the Aaron Women’s Clinic in Houston. A fourth informant has co-operated with Operation Rescue, filing an affidavit about her experiences, but remains at this time anonymous.
As shocking as their stories are, these women did more than just talk; they brought forward evidence of illegal late-term abortions in the form of photos taken on their cell phones at the Karpen’s clinic on Schumacher Lane in Houston.
The photos were scandalous. They depicted two babies aborted well beyond the legal limit of 24 weeks in Texas. Their necks had been cut.
Photos of Babies 1 & 2
“The photos show babies that are huge, with gashes in their necks, indicating that these babies were likely born alive, then killed, just as Kermit Gosnell did at his ‘House of Horrors’ clinic in Philadelphia,” said Troy Newman, President of Operation Rescue. “In fact, there are numerous similarities between Karpen and the Gosnell case, including the disregarding of complaints by the authorities that allowed both men to continue their illegal operations.”
Signs of life
In both cases, the babies’ skin is pink, noting a lack of masceration, an early form of decomposition that happens in babies that die in the womb. Massive bruising on the extremities of one of the babies indicates the baby’s heart was pulsing with life when the trauma was inflicted likely when grasping instruments latched on to bring the baby down into the birth canal. The eyes of the other child are open in a nightmarish expression of pain, revealing development greater than 26-28 weeks. Both sets of photos were taken sometime in 2011.
The video interview of the three informants verified the worst.
“When he did an abortion, especially an over 20 week abortion, most of the time the fetus would come completely out before he cut the spinal cord or he introduced one of the instruments into the soft spot of the fetus, in order to kill the fetus,” said Deborah Edge, who worked as a surgical assistant for Karpen for about 15 years until leaving in March, 2011.
“I thought, well, it’s an abortion you know, that’s what he does, but I wasn’t aware that it was illegal…Most of the time we would see him where the fetus would come completely out and of course, the fetus would still be alive,” Edge continued.
How often did this happen?
“I think every morning I saw several, on several occasions,” she said. “If we had 20-something patients, of course ten, or twelve, or fifteen patients would be large procedures, and out of those large procedures, I’m pretty sure that I was seeing at least three or four fetuses that were completely delivered in some way or another,” said Edge, acknowledging that these babies would be alive.
She described how some babies would emerge too soon and would be alive, moving, and breathing. She also told of how Karpen would sometimes deliver the babies feet first with the toes wiggling until he stabbed them with a surgical implement. At the moment the toes would suddenly splay out before going limp. Sometimes he would kill the babies by “twisting the head off the neck,” according to Edge.
Women would be given doses of Cytotec, a drug that causes strong and unpredictable uterine contractions, and would deliver while they were waiting in line to see Karpen, some in toilets, one in the hallway.
“He just picked it up with one of those [chux] pads and put it in the trash bag,” said Krystal Rodriguez of the baby born in the hallway.
“As long as the patient had the cash, he was going to do it past 25 weeks,” she said.
But not all the babies came out intact. When there was difficulty, Karpen would dismember them, a process that was, according to the surgical assistant Deborah Edge, a bloody mess.
“Sometimes he couldn’t get the fetus out” she explained. “He would yank pieces – piece by piece – when they were oversize. And I’m talking about the whole floor dirty. I’m talking about me drenched in blood.”
Undercover investigation and a troubled past
It all began in early 2011, when Operation Rescue was conducting an undercover investigation of several Texas abortion clinics when it discovered that Karpen appeared to be violating the Texas informed consent law that required that abortionists give the state-mandated information personally on patient conference calls set up for that purpose. In addition to the improper use of a recording, he was not on the line to answer questions, as the law required. Operation Rescue’s Cheryl Sullenger filed a complaint with the Texas Medical Board concerning this violation.
Sullenger submitted a statement to the TMB noting Karpen’s documented history of problems, including series of botched abortions stretching back to 1988 when 15-year old Denise Montoya hemorrhaged and died after a 26-week abortion done by Karpen.
She told the TMB of a documented incident on February 6, 2005, when a sewer broke at Karpen’s Texas Ambulatory Surgical Center, located at 2421 N. Shepherd in Houston, causing sewage to spill into the parking lot of a neighboring car dealership. Maribeth Smith, an employee of the car dealership said she is convinced she saw human body parts mixed in with the sewage. She took photographs, believing the human tissue came from the clinic.
“Whether it’s legal or not, it’s not right,” Smith said. “This whole area is nothing but raw sewage and bloody pieces. There were little legs coming out from one side.”
A Health Department worker called 911 to report a second spill at the same abortion clinic. When asked who she was with she told the dispatcher, “Health Department…and we handle normal medical waste, but this is beyond us. He says he can see fetuses and fingers and everything.” (Emphasis in transcript.)
Sullenger hoped that the history of documented abuses would help convince the TMB to act swiftly to protect the public.
Whistleblower comes forward
The following month, Deborah Edge contacted Operation Rescue with her first-hand account Karpen’s practices after she had smuggled one of Operation Rescue’s Whistleblower flyers out of his clinic, knowing that she needed to call.
In addition to the accounts of the illegal late-term abortions, other abuses Edge witnessed included:
Falsification of ultrasounds to produce younger fetal ages of babies over the legal limit or older fetal ages to extract more money out of women.
Fraudulent billing practices.
Surgical equipment not properly sterilized.
Reuse of disposable instruments.
Unqualified workers drawing and administering drugs.
Late-term abortions done at 28 weeks and later. (Texas law permits only to 24 weeks.)
Lack of adequate nursing staff.
Concealing poorly kept logs from inspectors to prevent deficiency citations.
Hiring nurses through a temp agency to work only on days when inspections are scheduled.
Mistreating heavy women and inappropriately touching attractive women while under sedation.
Sexual harassment.
Edge explained that Karpen was able to evade detection by having his workers hide sanitation logs and other incriminating documentation from inspectors on the occasions they would come by the clinic.
“Karpen might have a little newer equipment and a little cleaner clinic, but his shoddy practices certainly mirror those of convicted murderer Kermit Gosnell. Certainly if anyone deserved Board discipline, it was this guy,” said Sullenger.
Excel Spreadsheets
Another piece of evidence was an Excel file that contained four months of abortion billing information for 2011. That file was given to Operation Rescue by an anonymous informant. The abortions listed all indicated that several abortion funds, including the National Abortion Federation Fund, the Hershey Fund, the Lilith Fund, and others had been billed for part of the abortion fee. The allegation made by the informant was that Karpen was bilking the funds out of money by over-billing them. While that allegation could not be substantiated by Operation Rescue, the list was revealing as to the price of the late-term abortions that the women all said were done beyond the legal limit and the amount of cash taken in to the clinic.
March, 2011, listed 33 abortions that were partially paid for with abortion funds or other sources. Over $38,000 in cash was paid by patients. The file showed 5 abortions that cost under $1,000, 7 abortions that were between $1,000-2,000, 12 abortions that cost between $2,000-$3,000, and 3 abortions that were over $3,000.
The greater the gestational age, the higher the abortion fee. How old were the two babies whose abortions cost $3,700? The file didn’t say, but the high figure seemed to confirm the allegations that abortions were being done very late — much later than 24 weeks.
Working together
Due to legal issues raised by the former clinic workers, Operation Rescue contacted attorneys at Alliance Defending Freedom, which handled many of the women’s legal concerns. Once the women quit their jobs, finances became an issue. Newman contacted Abby Johnson, whose new organization And Then There Were None, which offers support to former abortion clinic workers. She agreed to help the women with some financial assistance.
Amended complaint
The additional information gathered from Edge and the other women was quickly added to the original Texas Medical Board complaint filed earlier. Sullenger discussed the new information with TMB Inspector, Leslie Coe, who seemed to be conducting an investigation. As the other Karpen employees came forward with similar stories, their affidavits were submitted to Coe along with the video of violations taken inside the clinic and the photos of the huge babies Karpen had aborted.
Everything seemed to be progressing through the investigative process. The women were interviewed and Sullenger spoke on and off with Coe, who seemed cooperative and willing to take more information as it came in.
Settlement conference hearings were scheduled and hopes rose, but the hearings were repeatedly delayed and reset over the course of months until finally they were simply were not rescheduled.
“I thought that the additional information had sent the case back to the investigative phase and that the Board just needed more time to process everything. Medical Boards take a very long time to work through things. After being involved in numerous Board actions against abortionists, the delays seemed normal,” said Sullenger. “But apparently they weren’t.”
Mysterious dismissal
But then something changed.
“It was like someone turned the spigot off. Ms. Coe stopped returning my calls and did not acknowledge my e-mails. I could not account for the change in attitude,” said Sullenger. “Then I got the letter dismissing the case and was completely stunned by it.”
The letter, dated February 8, 2013, stated:
The investigation referenced above has been dismissed because the Board determined there was insufficient evidence to prove that a violation of the Medical Practices Act occurred. Specifically, this investigation determined that Dr. Karpen did not violate the laws connected with the practice of medicine and there is no evidence of inappropriate behavior, therefore no further action will be taken.
“I couldn’t believe what I was reading,” said Sullenger. “How could anyone look at those pictures of the two babies and still say ‘there is no evidence of inappropriate behavior’? No one even bothered to sign the letter.”
Going public
With the TMB out of the picture, Sullenger sought an opportunity to get the women’s stories recorded and evidence released to the public, an effort that required her to negotiate unexpected delays.
Then, while Sullenger was in Philadelphia reporting on the Kermit Gosnell murder trial, Mark Crutcher of the Texas-based Life Dynamics, Inc., a close associate of Operation Rescue’s, was able to make arrangements to get the interviews recorded.
The Gosnell trial and his convictions on 3 counts of first degree murder for severing the spinal cords of babies born alive during abortions at his filthy West Philadelphia abortion clinic has focused the national abortion debate onto the question of whether Gosnell’s behavior was an anomaly. Often in the courtroom conversation amongst reporters, many with very liberal world views, would shift to questions about whether others like Gosnell were out there breaking the law and subjecting women – and their viable babies that the law was supposed to protect – to unspeakable atrocities.
“Douglas Karpen is so like Kermit Gosnell that it is uncanny, from the illegal late-term abortions, to killing babies born alive, to even the sewers clogged with fetal remains,” said Sullenger. “But the most disturbing thing is that we know there are others out there who are maybe even worse than Gosnell and Karpen, who just have not been caught yet. How many? There’s just no way to tell, but that thought should give everyone pause to think. Can we really afford to allow abortion clinics to run amok without accountability? When we do, we get places like Gosnell’s ‘House of Horrors” and Karpen’s apparently illicit operation. The ones that pay the price for the lack of enforcement and oversight are those who can’t defend themselves from exploitation by men like them.”
Enforcement elusive
While states continue to enact pro-life laws that are designed to provide greater oversight and accountability to an out-of-control abortion industry, the matter of enforcement still remains the biggest challenge to bringing abortionists like Gosnell and Karpen to justice.
For years, Gosnell evaded accountability, shielded by a political atmosphere that ignored complaints and refused to inspect clinics out of fear of limiting access to abortions. That political climate was one in which Gosnell thrived. Karpen appears to enjoy the benefits of a similar political climate in Texas, which has inexplicably chosen to ignore a total of four former employees and the images of the babies Karpen dispatched in a similar manner that earned Gosnell two life sentences in prison.
Operation Rescue has finally made public Karpen’s identity in order to attempt bypass the stonewalling of the TMB and bring him to justice.
“We are asking all those who were appalled by the details of Gosnell’s behavior that have come out throughout the trial to take action to bring Karpen to justice in a court of law,” said Newman. “We know that it is possible to prosecute him because of the outcome of the Gosnell trial. We just need prosecutors like those in Philadelphia who are willing and courageous enough to enforce the law.”