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NRL News
Awash in Deception, Massive PPFA Clinic Allowed to
Open Anyway In spite of a systematic campaign of pro-abortion deception and the determined opposition of local pro-lifers, a massive new abortion clinic has now opened in Aurora, Illinois. On October 1, the city issued an occupancy permit that allowed Planned Parenthood’s gigantic new 22,000 square foot, $7.5 million abortion clinic to open the following day. The Planned Parenthood clinic had been awash in disputes since July when the Chicago Tribune identified the tenant’s true identity. As the Washington Post described the situation, “Planned Parenthood spokespeople say the organization followed ‘the letter of the law’ but acknowledge it tried to keep the clinic’s identity under wraps during the permitting process because of a growing trend of abortion opponents using municipal zoning and permitting regulations to try to block clinics from opening.” Planned Parenthood used the name Gemini Office Development in applying for permits to build the clinic. PP used the Gemini name on a permit application as recently as March, adding, “Tenant is not determined ... unknown at this time.” Aurora City spokeswoman Carie Anne Ergo told reporters that at least four other permits dating to March 2006 refer to the tenant or property owner as Gemini. In late August city officials said the opening (originally scheduled for September 18) would depend on what TIME magazine described as a “fresh review” of the building permit. The city hired attorney Phillip Leutkehans “to conduct an independent investigation into the approval process for Planned Parenthood’s new facility on East New York Street,” according to the Chicago Tribune. When Aurora Mayor Tom Weisner held a press conference on October 1, he said, “As elected officials, we are sworn to uphold the law regardless of our personal emotional or even religious beliefs.” He added, “Based upon the opinions of these three attorneys, the city of Aurora has no legal basis to deny Planned Parenthood an occupancy certificate.” Weisner was referring, among others, to Kane County State’s Attorney John Barsanti, who concluded that “Planned Parenthood did not commit any crimes while gaining approval for its new Aurora facility under a subsidiary name [Gemini Office Development LLC],” according to the Naperville Sun. Barsanti reviewed the work of two lawyers hired by the city to investigate the approval and permitting process. Both had concluded that “Planned Parenthood misrepresented tenant information to city officials, but it was not enough to deny an occupancy permit,” according to the Sun. “Barsanti said his office has no jurisdiction over city ordinances, land use or zoning, and he offered no opinion on those matters,” the Sun reported. Once the deception was unmasked, Planned Parenthood offered a three-fold explanation/justification for why the clinic needed to built in the first place and why it was done in such a misleading fashion. The area was “underserved”; abortions will constitute “only” 10% of its “services”; and (according to Steve Trombley, CEO and president of Planned Parenthood/Chicago Area) “the deceptive tactics were necessary to keep abortion protesters from learning about the clinic and targeting contractors, a tactic that had been used elsewhere.” Rubbing salt into the wounds of pro-lifers, Trombley boasted that the abortion clinic will “do more in one day to prevent abortions” than pro-lifers “will do in a lifetime of protesting.” Based on his projection of seeing 25,000 patients, once the abortion clinic is up and running at full capacity, that apparently means 2,500 unborn babies will die in the clinic each and every year. |