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Another Florida abortion clinic settles up over allegations it improperly performed second trimester abortions

Apr 18, 2016

By Dave Andrusko

Pro-life Florida Gov. Rick Scott

Pro-life Florida Gov. Rick Scott

Perseverance pays off, especially when investigating abortion clinics who tend not to be a font of information to outside agencies.

The local CBS affiliate reported today that Aastra Women’s Center agreed to pay a $3,000 fine as part of a settlement in a case brought by the state accusing the Broward County, Florida, clinic of performed second-trimester abortions without a proper license.

As we reported earlier, last year the Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA) accused Aastra and four other clinics of performing second-trimester abortions without proper licenses.

The clinic paid the fine with gritted teeth. When the clinic reached a tentative agreement in December, a lawyer for Aastra described the agreement as a “business decision.”

“In the settlement, both sides stuck to their positions, with the document saying Aastra ‘denies the validity of the allegations raised in the administrative complaint’ and that the agency ‘asserts the validity of the allegations,’” according to the Miami CBS affiliate.

It was pro-life Florida Gov. Rick Scott who ordered the AHCA to investigate all 16 Planned Parenthood clinics that perform abortions. Referring to the undercover videos released by the Center for Medical Progress, Gov. Scott said at the time, “The videos coming out about Planned Parenthood are deeply troubling to say the least.”

“If a Planned Parenthood office is not following the law, we will move quickly to take legal and regulatory action against them. We hold our healthcare organizations in Florida to the highest standards of safety and we expect them to fully comply with the law at all times.”

After inspections, three abortion clinics–in St. Petersburg, Fort Myers and Naples– were found to be performing second trimester abortions without a license to do so. A Pembroke Pines abortion clinic was also been cited for keeping improper records of its “disposal of fetal remains.”

“Florida Right to life thanks Governor Scott for his swift actions,” said Lynda Bell, president of Florida Right to Life. “This further reveals the need for unannounced inspections for Florida’s abortion clinics. Women deserve protection and the state has done its job.”

Categories: Abortion Clinic