Planned Parenthood of Delaware has immediately halted in-clinic abortion services at its Wilmington health center.
According to the agency, the suspensions are expected to last at least “several weeks.”
Planned Parenthood’s chief executive officer Ruth Lyttle-Barnaby says clinic hours have been changed over the short-term so staff can receive extra training.
The clinic temporarily closed down its in-house abortions just weeks after a right-to-life group claimed that the groups clinic on Shipley Street was performing botched abortions. The activist group claimed that several patients had left the clinic in ambulances over the last several months.
While the Delaware Division of Public Health admitted there was an “open investigation,” it did not comment on any findings from its early examination.
At this time, the state of Delaware has not ordered the closure of any Planned Parenthood locations.
In the state of Delaware, all hospitals, clinics, and other facilities offering invasive procedures using a certain level of anesthesia must be accredited. Officials from the state therefore conduct inspections of each facility. Inspections include medical records and a review of personnel records. All investigations are completed and maintained for record purposes by the third-party investigator.
Officials in the state of Delaware are afforded the option to investigate any facility it chooses when a complaint is filed against a company.
According Lyttle-Barnaby:
“We are continuing to provide our full range of services, including abortion care, however, we will only offer medication abortion, not in-clinic abortion, during the next few weeks.”
Further details to follow as more information is made available.
