Nearly half of Pennsylvania’s abortion facilities—nine—failed a health inspection in 2023, according to a study released by the non-profit Pennsylvania Family Institute (PA Family).
At least one state health inspection was completed this year at the clinic where “the majority of women who underwent an elective abortion in Pennsylvania did so,” according to the study.
According to PA Family, no abortion providers in the state have ever been penalized for failing inspections by state officials. Elective abortions are legal in Pennsylvania up to 24 weeks into the pregnancy and even later if it is determined that the mother’s health or life is in danger.
Philadelphia Women’s Center, Allentown Women’s Center, and Planned Parenthood failed health inspections at the Lancaster, Norristown, Philadelphia, Comly Road, Locust Street, Reading, Wilkes Barre, and York locations.
The study revealed that Reading Planned Parenthood did not conduct yearly performance reviews for all abortionists and that the Norristown location likewise did not authorize the credentialing of abortionists.
A “substantiated” allegation that Planned Parenthood York had “failed to record a major occurrence” and three out of four abortionists’ performance reviews were determined to have been dodged by the organization.
In August, the Philadelphia Women’s Center broke numerous rules that were part of the yearly survey. These rules included not documenting the postoperative anesthesia recovery evaluation, discharging patients without a signed order from a practitioner, and enforcing the results of tissue analysis in an abortion performed after the first trimester.
They also failed to analyze the remains of a 15-week-old aborted child as required. Staff at the Philadelphia Planned Parenthood on Comly Road were not screened for TB, the facility did not have a clean place to keep the remains of aborted newborns, and the necessary paperwork for anesthesia was missing. The recovery room nurse was also not certified.
The failure of Gov. Josh Shapiro’s administration to address the severe violations by abortion clinics shown in these failed inspections was condemned by Dan Bartkowiak, director of communications at the PA Family Institute.