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Tuesday, April 21, 2009

Ind. Law - Yet more on: Abortion requirements re hospital admission privileges heard at county level now proposed as state legislation

Updating this ILB entry from April 16th, Niki Kelly has a story in the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette headed "Abortion doc assails bill’s terms." A quote:

[Dr. George Klopfer is an] Illinois physician works at the Fort Wayne Women’s Health Organization and also performs abortions in South Bend and Gary.

“This is about what I do and people who disagree with it. And this decision is going to hurt women,” said Klopfer, speaking to The Journal Gazette for the first time about the proposal.

“This is a veiled attempt at outlawing a woman’s freedom to choose. If you lose a freedom, it is much harder to get it back than to maintain that freedom.”

Klopfer said he tried unsuccessfully in the late 1970s and early 1980s to obtain admitting privileges at a hospital in South Bend, and even sued.

“I was denied privileges because of what I do,” he said, also noting that he has never had a patient die in 36 years of performing abortions.

Because Klopfer doesn’t live in Indiana, it is unlikely he could obtain privileges for at least two of the clinics where he works, and possibly all three.

“The point here is they claim the law is about patient safety – that’s meaningless,” he said, noting that emergency rooms are required to treat women with complications regardless of whether a woman’s doctor has admitting privileges.

But Dr. Geoff Cly, a Fort Wayne gynecologist who has treated several patients of Klopfer for complications, said there are no quality measures in place.

“I’m disappointed because patients are being harmed and the powers that be aren’t taking action to protect the women,” Cly said. “How can we hold him accountable like the rest of surgeons? Admission privileges are one way. If anyone has any other ways, let me know.”

Shari Rudavsky has a report in the Indianapolis Star, headed "Abortion bill debate: patient safety vs. restriction to access - Sides differ on the intent behind hospital admitting privileges."

It is a lengthy story, accompanied by several useful side-bars, but you have to keep clicking to see everything. For instance, here is "p. 4", which sets out the current restrictions on abortion in Indiana, other regulations, and what is involved in obtaining hosptial privileges.

Posted by Marcia Oddi on April 21, 2009 01:07 PM
Posted to Indiana Law