Judge puts abortionists 'above the law'

A judge is letting an abortion business in St. Louis continue making money until at least next week even though it hasn't been able to renew its state license, and a leader of the pro-life Operation Rescue says that's no more or less than putting abortionists "above the law."

"This move essentially allows a dangerous abortion facility that is refusing to comply with minimum health and safety standards to remain open," said OR chief Troy Newman on Friday.

His comment came after Judge Michael Stelzer granted Planned Parenthood's wish and ordered that the state could not yet cancel the license the business has been unable to renew.

"It has given Planned Parenthood preferential treatment and placed them above the law. We have already documented 74 ambulances at this Planned Parenthood. Judge Stelzer is making it possible for more women to suffer needlessly from substandard practices that the clinic has yet to correct," Newman said.

Stelzer said Reproductive Health Services Planned Parenthood may remain licensed and operating until June 4 when he will hear arguments in Planned Parenthood's demand for a preliminary injunction.

RHS Planned Parenthood is the last abortion facility in Missouri and has been embroiled in licensing issues that included violations of state laws and regulations, and a failure to cooperate with a Department of Health investigation, Operation Rescue reported.

"We stand with Missouri Gov. Mike Parson, who indicated that allowing Planned Parenthood to continue abortions would be reckless, and we stand with Dr. Randall Williams who has expressed concerns about standard of care and policy. And we stand with the pro-life activists in Missouri who have labored and prayed for years to protect the safety of women and save the innocent lives of babies from barbaric and brutal deaths in their state," said Newman. "We await the June 4th hearing and pray that justice will ultimately prevail and this abortion facility – the most dangerous in the U.S. will close permanently."

Kristan Hawkins, of Students for Life of America, said, "Planned Parenthood caused this artificial crisis when they ignored the law and refused to comply with the state of Missouri's very reasonable requests, as Gov. Mike Parson explained this week. Yet, the predatory abortion industry had the gall to argue in court that laws protecting women should not apply to them and that 'access' to abortion was somehow more important than what happens to women who are exposed to that 'access.' Pregnancy is not a disease cured by abortion, and the so-called 'care' from the St. Louis Planned Parenthood vendor has long been known to be sub par.

"But judicial activism in favor of abortion continues as a single judge allowed Planned Parenthood to operate even without complying with the state's reasonable requests from a March evaluation. But this is not over."

Stelzer's pro-abortion decision prevented the state from being the first state to be without a single abortion business since Roe. V. Wade created that right decades back.

Without the judge, the business' license for providing abortions would have expired at midnight.

Stelzer claimed he was not taking sides, but only deciding that a further hearing was needed.

The state of Missouri's health department had asked to question some of the workers at the business because of reports of anomalous results there in the past. Planned Parenthood refused.

The state said it couldn't renew the license without those interviews, and Planned Parenthood still refused.

Operation Rescue said a number of women recently have been transported by ambulance to hospital emergency rooms from the St. Louis abortion business.

Three women were hospitalized following their appointments at RHS during a 22-day span ending May 15, Operation Rescue said. Other medical emergencies occurred there April 24 and April 26.

"In all, 74 medical emergencies have been documented at this Planned Parenthood in the past 10 years," the group said.

'Life-threatening' issues

Operation Rescue said the "most common abortion complication suffered by women transported by ambulance from RHS Planned Parenthood is hemorrhaging, a life-threatening, yet avoidable, condition."

Other issues at RHS in recent months have included an inability to conduct chemical abortions due to failure to meet new safety regulations, the resignation of CEO Mary Kogut last year and a failure to meet licensing requirements, which led to cancelling expansion to Springfield and Joplin.

There were multiple safety violations documented in 2017 during a "failed inspection report," OR said.

"Missouri has led the way on enacting innovative abortion laws and regulations that are meant to protect the lives of innocent babies and their mothers. Planned Parenthood [can't] or won't comply," said Newman.

"For years we have been calling out the St. Louis Planned Parenthood as being the most dangerous abortion facility in the U.S. If this abortion facility halts abortions, we know that fewer babies will die and women will be spared from suffering serious injury from abortions.

"Missouri pro-life groups, who we have worked with over the years, have accomplished a great deal. Their approach to activism and legislation is an example for others to follow," said Newman.

The organization documents that in late 2016 there were 730 outpatient abortion facilities in the U.S., including 515 surgical facilities and 215 locations offering medication abortions.

Since 1991, 81 percent of all surgical abortion facilities in the U.S. have closed.

And Operation Rescued documented a "steady decline" in abortions since 1980.

CBS noted the abortionists at Planned Parenthood still would be able to provide non-abortion services for women in Missouri.

Just this year, six states, including Missouri, have proposed legislation to curb the abortion industry.

"Unplanned" drop in abortions

WND reported last month that Shawn Carney, the president and CEO of 40 Days for Life, said the release of the hit movie "Unplanned" was followed by an immediate drop in abortion traffic at abortion businesses, by 50 percent at one location and 25 percent at another.

The organization has conducted 40-day prayer vigils in 816 cities in 56 countries around the globe. They set up volunteers – 1 million so far in a decade – to pray around the clock for 40 days.

Their objective is to save babies, help hurting mothers and help abortion-industry employees move to other jobs.

The movie tells the dramatic true story of a Planned Parenthood clinic manager, Abby Johnson, who quits and becomes a pro-life activist after assisting in an abortion.

When Johnson quit, she immediately went to Carney at his organization's headquarters across from the Planned Parenthood she managed in Bryan, Texas.

Carney told WND in an interview that he and Johnson had known each other for years, both having attended Texas A&M University. When she started working at Planned Parenthood, he started with 40 Days for Life.

He recalls the day that Johnson, "distraught, completely broken," walked into his office.

He said he was worried about her future after having turned her back on the abortion industry's biggest player.

Carney said that with the release of "Unplanned," participation in the prayer vigils has surged 30 percent.

"It's just been a wave of enthusiasm," he said. "People are actually going out and peacefully praying."

He said Johnson is the 26th of 186 abortion workers who have fled the industry since 40 Days began its work.

He praised the movie makers.

"Their boldness in showing pro-life activism in a positive light really took a lot of courage," he said.

Image courtesy 40 Days for Life

The movie, he said, already is in 56 countries, and he's anticipating the international impact.

Most people, he said, don't realize that there have been 61 million babies lost to abortion in America alone since the Supreme Court created that right in 1973.

See the "Unplanned" trailer: