Two W.Va. abortion clinics respond to Morrisey’s questionnaire

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey received responses from both abortion clinics in West Virginia regarding a questionnaire he sent about their practices and policies.

The deadline for the responses was the end of business Monday.

The clinics, both of which are located in Charleston, submitted short responses to Morrisey’s inquiry, but would not answer the attorney general’s specific questions about medical procedures performed at the facilities.

On June 17, Morrisey sent letters to the abortion clinics, Women’s Health Center of West Virginia and Kanawha Surgicenter, directing them to answer 17 questions about abortion regulation and medical procedures.

In a written response, the Women’s Health Center told Morrisey that they do comply with all laws and regulations, but will not answer questions because it is facing a lawsuit over an allegedly botched abortion.

“The center is not in the position of providing substantive responses to your letter,” said Sharon Lewis, the clinic’s executive director, in a response sent to Morrisey. “We must decline to respond to your inquiries and allow the discovery process and justice system to address those matters.”

After making public the responses, Morrisey stated in a release that he will continue with his review, with or without the clinics’ cooperation.

“We will continue our efforts to review the state of abortion regulation in West Virginia and seek to ensure that women’s health is protected,” said Morrisey in his statement.

Morrisey has stated that he’s trying to determine whether any regulatory changes are needed.

The Department of Health and Human Resources doesn’t have a specific licensing category for abortion providers, so there is no state agency specifically tasked with inspecting them.

Two civil liberties groups have voiced their concerns about the inquiry.