Council seeks two-day stand down at WV abortion clinics

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The president and general counsel for The Family Policy Council of West Virginia is calling on Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin to order a 48-hour standdown at the state’s two abortion clinics to allow time for complete safety evaluations.

“We’re simply asking that the governor make sure that the abortion industry in West Virginia is operating safety,” Jeremy Dys said .

“We wouldn’t tolerate a self-regulated coal industry, (so) why should we permit a self-regulated abortion industry?”

Dys made the request in a letter sent Tuesday to Tomblin and others, including Attorney General Patrick Morrisey.

He cited the Kermit Gosnell case in Philadelphia as the reason. Gosnell, 72, was convicted of murder for killing three babies by snipping their spinal cords with scissors after they had been delivered.

Gosnell was also found guilty of involuntary manslaughter for the death of a former patient along with 229 violations of Pennsylvania abortion regulations.

A Philadelphia district attorney dubbed Gosnell’s abortion clinic a “house of horrors” in 2011 after investigators discovered deplorable conditions.

In the wake of that case, Dys said West Virginia should double-check what is happening at its abortion clinics.

“We hope that the abortion clinics in the state of West Virginia are operating with the utmost of professionalism, but that is what our government is for, to make sure that the health and safety of our sisters and our daughters is protected,” he said.

Dys said he thinks state officials have the authority to call for a standdown, lasting at least 48 hours, for thorough safety evaluations of equipment and reviews of policies and procedures.

“So long as abortion is legal in the state of West Virginia, its government should hold it accountable to reasonable health and safety standards,” he said. “That is just a reasonable standard that we can apply across the board.”

There had been no response on the request from the Governor’s Office as of Wednesday afternoon.