Content Warning: This piece links to sites which include photographs of the 17-week old aborted baby in question, including a Facebook post and a live-stream video.
On Wednesday, Ohio Right to Life revealed that a 17-week old aborted baby had been left discarded in a dumpster. The group claims the abortion facility, Northeast Ohio Women's Center (NEOWC) is responsible for the illegal disposal, as do Right to Life of Northeast Ohio and Citizens for a Pro-Life Society.
A statement from Ohio Right to Life read in part:
“Ohio Right to Life is heartbroken and appalled by the abortion industry’s utter disregard for human life,” said Mike Gonidakis, president of Ohio Right to Life. “This child suffered doubly at the hands of the abortion industry: first, by being subjected to a brutal death by dismemberment and second by the degradation of his or her broken body being dumped into the trash like garbage. Tragedies like this are why Ohio Right to Life worked tirelessly to pass the Unborn Child Dignity Act.”
Governor Mike DeWine signed S.B. 27, the Unborn Child Dignity Act, into law in December 2020. S.B. 27 requires the Ohio Department of Health to establish rules for the proper and humane burial or cremation of children who have lost their lives to an abortion procedure.
A live-streamed press conference from ORTL discussed the situation further, which included going over the photos of the aborted baby.
A Facebook post from Created Equal, which contains multiple graphic images, noted that a pro-life volunteer who searched through trash containers found "the dismembered body of an aborted baby, approximately 16 to 18 weeks gestation, killed by the dilation and evacuation abortion method." The post also mentioned that the "aborted baby had been hidden, wrapped up in a blood-stained blue surgical pad used during the abortion procedure." It went on to note that the "left leg, left foot, and right hand of the baby was found in the NEOWC dumpster, as well as the name of one clinic abortionist on a prescription."
According to AbortionProcedures.com, a project between former abortion provider Dr. Anthony Levatino and Live Action:
A dilation (dilatation) and evacuation abortion, D&E, is a surgical abortion procedure during which an abortionist first dilates the woman’s cervix and then uses instruments to dismember and extract the baby from the uterus. The D&E abortion procedure is usually performed between thirteen and twenty-four weeks LMP (that is thirteen to twenty-four weeks after the first day of the woman’s last menstrual period).
Reporting for The Daily Caller, Mary Margaret Olohan emphasized that the abortion facility is not returning request for comment, although they did provide brief comment for the Akron Beacon Journal.
From Eric Marotta's coverage for the Akron Beacon Journal:
Sherri Lynn Grossman, Northeast Ohio Women's Center administrator, said she learned of the allegations Wednesday, and denied them all.
She said the improper disposal of fetal remains, medical waste and patient information could not have taken place.
"Absolutely not — absolutely not," she said. "We have very strict policies and procedures in place," she said, adding that any attempt by the groups to retrieve items discarded at the site may constitute criminal trespassing. She declined to comment further, adding the facility is conducting an investigation.
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The three groups said the alleged improper disposal of fetal remains, medical waste and patient information are violations of state law.
Ohio Right to Life said it is filing complaints with agencies including the Ohio Department of Health, the Ohio Medical Board, the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency and Summit County Public Health, among others.
Blood-stained sheets and urine cups with women's names on them were also found to be improperly disposed of, which could involve HIPAA violation concerns.
Created Equal also made reference to how "NEOWC has a negative history."
In 2014, Jeremy Pelzer reported for Cleveland.com that the facility was discovered by the state's Department of Health to have expired medical equipment, lacked emergency lighting, and didn't meet requirements for staff training.
On July 25, 2020, a 29-year old woman was taken by ambulance from the facility to a nearby hospital for "uncontrolled bleeding" after her abortion, according to 911 records accessed by the pro-life group Operation Rescue.
Concerns were also raised about one of the facility's abortion providers, David Burkons, who had his license revoked in 2015 for failing to record prescribed controlled substances into patient records, including highly addictive opioid drugs.
He was just recently released from his probation on February 10, 2021 and his license has been active since then.
Dr. Burkons was also employed at Planned Parenthood. According to Danny Davids with Live Action News.
The clinic’s current abortionist and training instructor is Dr. David Burkons. From 2011-2012, during his time working as an abortionist for Planned Parenthood, seventeen of Burkons’ patients experienced moderate to severe complications from their abortions. His performance was so dismal, state records show that 41% of all medication abortion complications came from his office during those years.
In 2015, at the time of reporting, Burkons was at Capital Care Network. "Upon inspecting the clinic, state officials found atrocious conditions: filthy walls, carpets, and furniture – even a bullet hole through the recovery room exit door. In 2011, Capital Care Network was cited for multiple violations of safety standards in infection control, cleaning procedures, and personnel training," Davids also wrote.
Cortney O'Brien in August 2013 covered for Townhall some complaints against Burkons.
Operation Rescue provides a comprehensive look into Burkons' less than stellar record from over the years.
Mike DeWine, the Republican governor and former state attorney general who investigated abortion facilities for the illegal disposal of aborted babies, signed the Unborn Child Dignity Act into law on December 31, 2020. Although the law has been tangled up in the courts, Gov. Dewine signed an executive order on April 6, 2021 for it to go into effect.
The Northeast Ohio Women's Center was one of the abortion facilities which sued in an attempt to stop the law from going into effect.