The Louisiana attorney general condemned the actions of an abortion clinic that continues to operate despite the state’s coronavirus abortion ban, saying the clinic is “jeopardizing public safety.”
Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry spoke out Saturday against Hope Medical Group, an abortion provider that continues to operate though the state Department of Health announced March 21 that all licensed health care facilities in the state postpone all medical and surgical procedures until further notice unless to treat an emergency medical condition.
The measure is intended to preserve personal protective equipment and “to utilize hospital staffing, equipment, and bed capacity” for the transition to the COVID-19 emergency. (RELATED: Louisiana Department Of Health Refuses To Specify If Abortions Are Banned)
Landry said in a statement that coronavirus is a public health emergency in Louisiana and that more than 100 people have succumbed to the virus.
“The LDH order is necessary and reasonable as it helps prevent further spread of infection and preserves vital medical supplies for our brave medical professionals on the front lines in this fight against COVID-19,” he said.
This week @LiveAction found abortion facility June Medical Services (Hope Medical Group) defying Louisiana’s Dept of Health orders and committing abortions.
Proud of @JeffLandry for quick action and this statement -> pic.twitter.com/i4E38v6JOz
— Alison H.Centofante (@AlisonHowardC) March 29, 2020
“While healthcare workers actually treating Coronavirus patients are experiencing severe shortages of Personal Protective Equipment, June Medical is irresponsibly still operating business — dangerously putting countless people at further risk,” he continued.
“Not only should June Medical and all of Louisiana’s abortion providers comply with the public safety order, but they should also follow the generous lead of other medical facilities and donate their supplies to local hospitals who are in desperate need.” (RELATED: ABORTION BANS: These States Say Abortions Must Stop During The Coronavirus Pandemic)
The attorney general’s office told the Daily Caller News Foundation that they are encouraging the Louisiana Department of Health “to investigate this issue and evaluate the danger it poses to public health.”
“We stand ready to defend their enforcement of the order against any and all who refuse to comply,” the AG’s office said. LDH has not responded to a request for comment on the matter.
Hope Medical Group has not responded to multiple emailed requests for comment from the DCNF. An employee confirmed to the DCNF on March 27 that the clinic is still offering abortions, but hung up after saying she would not give her name because she did not know the DCNF reporter or publication.
The Louisiana Department of Health previously refused to address whether abortions are banned in the state to the DCNF. After multiple requests for comment throughout Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, the state health department said Friday that the “state has not issued guidance or directives to any specific medical field.”
“LDH has, in an attempt to conserve our limited hospital bed space and personal protective equipment, issued an emergency rule requiring any and all medical and surgical procedures to be postponed,” press secretary Kelly Zimmerman told the DCNF. “However, medical and surgical treatments necessary to treat an emergency medical condition are still allowed.”
“Doctors have to use their medical judgment to determine what is and what isn’t an emergency medical procedure,” Zimmerman added.
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