Reproductive Health Services of Planned Parenthood of the St. Louis Region is currently fighting the state health director, Dr. Randall Williams, to keep its license to perform abortions. The clinic is the last one in the state that performs abortions.
During testimony, it was revealed that Dr. Williams compiled a spreadsheet from women’s medical records to track their menstrual periods.
“The spreadsheet, which was made at Williams’ request by the state’s main inspector, helped to identify patients who had undergone failed abortions…
Williams testified that the investigation of Planned Parenthood began after state inspectors found evidence of a failed abortion that didn’t have a corresponding complication report logged with the state.
The spreadsheet, which was based on medical records the investigator had access to during the state’s annual inspection, also included medical identification numbers, dates of medical procedures and the gestational ages of fetuses.
The last column of the spreadsheet included the date of the last menstrual period of each patient calculated by the health department. The patient’s names were not included.
The investigation eventually found four patients that had to return to Planned Parenthood more than once to have a successful surgical abortion. The failed abortions led the department to have ‘grave concerns’ that caused it to withhold the St. Louis clinic’s license.”
To me, this seems to be a “little bit” creepy and just a tad bit of overreach by the health director.
“The Missouri House minority leader has called on Gov. Mike Parson, a Republican, to ‘immediately investigate’ whether ‘patient privacy was compromised or laws broken’ or whether Williams was a ‘a person who Missourians can be comfortable having in a position of public trust.’
‘State law requires the health department director to be ‘of recognized character and integrity,’ state Rep. Crystal Quade, D-Springfield, said in a statement. ‘This unsettling behavior calls into question whether Doctor Williams meets that high standard.’
Shortly following the hearing, the head of the St. Louis Planned Parenthood said she found the spreadsheet “deeply disturbing.”
‘This is government overreach at its worst,’ Yamelsie Rodriguez, CEO of Reproductive Health Services of Planned Parenthood of the St. Louis Region, said in a statement. ‘It shadows the Trump administration’s history of tracking the periods of refugee girls under the government’s care. This is outrageous and disgusting.’ “
All these years since Roe v Wade and the battle continues for women’s reproductive rights all around the country, including here, in Georgia, with the state’s “Heartbeat Bill” passing and now in court.
Medicare-For-All is a single-payer health care system which will cover every American regardless of race, religion or irreligion, gender, age or political affiliation.
Such a system would put the argument about this “fucking shit” to bed once and for all.
Bernie and Liz.