While the coronavirus (COVID-19) has forced hospitals to suspend elective surgeries, the Hope Clinic for Women has remained open and is continuing to provide abortions. It’s been only six weeks since an ambulance was last called to the abortion facility after a botched abortion, and recently, a woman was injured again at the clinic. This time, the emergency responders could not easily transport the woman due to the clinic’s broken elevator.
On May 7, 2020, a woman had a seizure during a surgical abortion on the second floor of the clinic. After being transferred to Barnes Jewish Hospital in Missouri, the woman returned to the facility the following day to complete the abortion. Pro-life activist John Ryan shared the conversation he had with the woman before she reentered the clinic.
“…But she did confirm they had to drag her down the stairs yesterday to get her to the ambulance, IV’s and all, and off to the ER. Sure enough, she confirmed to me that these quacks didn’t even have a working elevator in the building where they commit the abortions on the second floor.”
On March 28, 2020, an ambulance was called for a woman who was experiencing excessive bleeding at the clinic. Despite the severity of her medical condition, the Hope Clinic staffer instructed the dispatcher to take the woman to the Women’s Assessment Center at Barnes Jewish Hospital, and not the emergency room.
The Hope Clinic has also been cited with numerous health and safety violations. From supplies not being properly stored to prevent cross-contamination, a failure by the staff to ensure equipment was clean and working properly, and neglecting to provide an abortion patient with a physical exam prior to the procedure. Client reviews of the facility have reported being forced to fill out extra waivers due to a mold problem.
Due to a recent law, abortion clinics in Illinois are no longer required to be licensed ambulatory surgical treatment centers.
