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Abortionist Ulrich Klopfer’s license for South Bend, Indiana, abortion clinic not renewed

Jul 22, 2015

By Dave Andrusko

 

15072201  Here’s the latest on Indiana abortionist Ulrich Klopfer who, as we reported previously, has already been forced to cease doing abortions at his Fort Wayne and Gary abortion clinics.

Amanda Gray of the South Bend Tribune reported today that three days after the June 26 decision of the Indiana State Department of Health (ISDH) denying  Klopfer’s request for a  license renewal for his South Bend abortion clinic, Klopfer appealed.

Klopfer is being allowed to continue doing abortions there until an administrative law judge hears the case November 26.

Gray reports:

The ISDH sent a letter to Klopfer, dated June 26, stating that the application for license renewal was denied after a recommendation from the Abortion Clinic Licensing Program. The letter cited a “history of non-compliance, ongoing non-compliance, untimely and unacceptable plans of correction and pending license revocation.” Specifically, the letter referenced a June 3 inspection in which inspectors found evidence that medical abortions were taking place without requiring a woman requesting the procedure to wait 18 hours before having an abortion, as required by state law.

The letter further stated, “The program believes these deficiencies provide further evidence of the clinic’s inability to comply with and follow existing state law and that such behavior is an intentional and willful act.”
“We are pleased the Indiana State Department of Health denied a renewed license for Dr. Klopfer’s South Bend facility,” said Indiana Right to Life’s President and CEO, Mike Fichter. “We have joined St. Joseph County Right to Life in being troubled by his practices and deplorable conditions for decades. We regret that women’s health and safety will be on the line until November when a judge determines the fate of Dr. Klopfer’s license, but we are optimistic that the judge will shut his facility down.”

(For more background, see www.nationalrighttolifenews.org/news/2015/06/state-moves-to-revoke-ulrich-klopfers-south-bend-abortion-facility-license/#.Va_lAaRViko).

But there’s more.

As NRL News Today reported previously, as the result of  an investigation by the Attorney General’s office, Klopfer’s Indiana medical license is under review at the Indiana Medical Licensing Board. (Last month, the Indiana Medical Licensing Board denied Klopfer’s motion for summary judgment, meaning there will be a full hearing later this year on the nearly 2,000 allegations against him.)

When the Attorney General’s office filed a public complaint in mid-September 2014, asking the medical licensing board to take action against Klopfer, a press release said Klopfer’s reports averaged four errors each. Often times that meant he failed to include the father’s name or age.

The 1,833 alleged violations stem from recording keeping and advice and consent law errors Klopfer made while performing abortions in Gary, South Bend, and Fort Wayne, Indiana.

Amanda Gray, writing for the South Bend Tribune, reported at the time  that Klopfer was not in court. His attorneys, Mary Watts and Joshua Burress, based their call for a summary argument on the basis that Klopfer did not “knowingly” violate state statutes and in the case of the informed consent laws, Watts argued, did not violate them at all.

Indiana Right to Life explained the specifics:

According to the alleged violations in the Attorney General’s complaint, Klopfer submitted 1,818 termination of pregnancy reports with missing or incorrect information. He failed to submit two termination of pregnancy reports on time for 13-year-old girls. Six times, he failed to ensure informed and voluntary consent was obtained through appropriate counselors. Finally, he failed to obtain informed and voluntary consent for seven patients at least 18-hours prior to the abortion procedure.

   Klopfer’s licenses are currently listed as “valid while under review.”

According to Nick Goodwin, spokesman for the Professional Licensing Agency, the eventual outcome of Klopfer’s medical licensing hearing could range from no sanction to a letter of reprimand, to a fine, to the license being placed on probation, suspension or revoked.

Editor’s note. If you want to peruse stories all day long, either go directly to nationalrighttolifenews.org and/or follow me on Twitter at twitter.com/daveha

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