"Health officials inspected only one of the state's six licensed abortion clinics in the past two years--despite a requirement that they be investigated every other year--before complaints eventually brought inspectors to two of the clinics, a Press investigation has revealed. Those two clinics were then closed immediately due to health violations that posed 'immediate and serious risk of harm to patients. The investigations of the Alternatives clinic in Atlantic City and Metropolitan Medical Associates in Englewood, Bergen County, marked the first time those clinics had been inspected in six and five years, respectively."
     From Sunday's edition of the Press of New Jersey.

It's not often that outsiders are allowed a glimpse at the ultra-confidential, super-secretive world of abortion clinics. And on those rare occasions when we are, you immediately understand why the Abortion Establishment fiercely opposes legislation that monitors and supervises (however inadequately) these killing centers.

The story in Sunday's Press of New Jersey is not just about the closing of two dangerous (to pregnant women) abortion clinics-- the Alternatives clinic in Atlantic City and Metropolitan Medical Associates in Englewood, Bergen County. Mike Clark's piece tells us that this is just the tip of the iceberg.

A "statewide records request by The Press of Atlantic City shows the problem extends throughout the state," Clark writes. "Inspections are sporadic at best and, when they do occur, discovering serious violations is common." Indeed, "The last inspection reports for all six clinics recorded violations," according to Clark.

The second half of the story gives specific details about the seamy underside–take that back, it's all seamy–of a number of New Jersey abortion clinics. You read about them "providing unspecified medical services without a license and lacking an oxygen supply to patients in one operating room" and a "common" discovery in some of the state's license abortion clinics–"Patients' dried blood and blood residue."

At once clinic, Clark writes, "investigators revealed that the base of the clinic's operating tables were 'soiled and caked with dried blood' and the floors below the tables were 'soiled and stained with blood residue.'"

There was this amazing, but utterly revealing, statement from an employee at Alternatives given after being questioned by inspectors: "Abortions aren't really surgery, they aren't sterile procedures."

It gets worse. There are some 20 private clinics which could be inspected by New Jersey's Division of Consumer Affairs. However, not only does the Division of Consumer Affairs have "no standards to routinely inspect the private clinics," Clark writes, " Unlike the state Health Department, Consumer Affairs refuses to release inspection reports of any private clinic under its jurisdiction, nor will it comment on when it last inspected any facility."

Keep this story in mind the next time you hear the usual complaints from abortion clinics, angrily denouncing good-faith attempts to ensure that abortion clinics meet minimal standards. These are disgusting places in the first place, made even worse by a culture of indifference to the health and safety of women.

The story can be read in its entirety at www.pressofatlanticcity.com/top_three/story/7497001p-7393379c.html

Please send your comments and questions to Dave Andrusko at daveandrusko@hotmail.com.