If you have not heard, Ohio’s abortion statistics report was issued today. Each fall, Ohio’s Department of Health issues abortion statistics for the year prior. The statistics look at various demographic information like where the abortion was performed and where the mother who had the abortion resides. It tracks the methods of abortion –distinguishing between surgical and non-surgical abortions, and it also breaks down types of procedures within the larger subset. It looks at things like the mother’s race and ethnicity, her number of reported prior abortions or live births, her education, her age, and her marital status. You can review a copy of the 2019 Ohio Abortion Statistics online here (warning – it is a larger pdf file). Abortion figures are available to the detail of zip code.
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Ohio Abortion numbers
In 2018, Ohio abortions dropped by 468 procedures statewide, from 20,893 abortions in 2017 to 20,425 in 2018. Last year, Ohio abortions dropped by 323 procedures statewide from 20,425 to 20,102. This means that last year, just over 55 babies died each day from abortion in Ohio. Statewide, about 39% of all abortions were conducted non-surgically, most by the abortion pill. Once again, most abortions were performed in an ambulatory surgical facility (18,707), while 1,356 were performed in a non-surgical clinic, and 39 were performed in a hospital. Statewide, the largest number of abortions were performed on women ages 25-29, and once again African American women were disproportionately likely to have an abortion. Among Ohioans who reported their race, white women made up 46.1% of all abortions, black women made up 45.9%, and American Indian, Pacific Islander, and multi-racial made up .3%, 3.6%, and 4.1%. Eighty-two percent of women having an abortion report being not married (single, separated, divorced, or widowed). About 10.5% were married, and 7% did not report their marital status. Ninety-five abortions were reported as being performed after 21 weeks of gestation. Approximately 6% reported Hispanic ethnicity.
 
Local abortion numbers
Ohio measures abortion statistics in two ways. One is by the total number performed in the county and one is by the number of abortions performed on women living in a county. In Ohio, known abortion clinics exist in only a few counties: Franklin (2), Cuyahoga (2), Lucas (1), Summit (1), Montgomery (1), and Hamilton (1). Each year, a few abortions are generally reported outside of those settings. We generally presume that those occur in a hospital setting, but we cannot know for sure. As pro-life people, our goal is not only to see the total number of abortions decline, but also the number of abortions occurring in our community and the number performed on women living in our communities. In last year’s statistics, we had about six months with two abortion clinics that performed surgical and medication abortions, about a month where only one clinic was open that performed surgical and medication abortions, about two and a half months when one dual and one medication-only clinic was open, and about two and a half months when one dual and two medication only clinics were open. In 2019, the statistics reflect having all three clinics open: one offering both types of abortions and two offering medication only. Thus, while it is a disappointment, it is not a surprise that abortions slightly increased in central Ohio. In addition, we tend to see fairly cyclical process of large drops over a few years and then a small increase. There are two ways to end abortion: the demand side and the supply side, and we need to work on both.

In 2018, there were 3706 abortions that were performed in central Ohio, or about 10 each day. Last year, there were 3933 abortions performed in central Ohio. That means 76 each week and just under 11 each day. That is an increase of 227 from the year before, but still a decrease of nearly 30% over the past ten years. Last year, nearly 70% of the abortions performed in Central Ohio were non-surgical, and almost all of them were performed by the abortion pill. Given that two additional pill-only clinics were available last year, this is not surprising, but it is concerning. Just four years ago, medication abortion was less than 5% of all abortions happening in our community. It also indicates that we have a great need to increase awareness and advocacy of the abortion pill reversal program. GCRTL Sidewalk Counselors are working to make sure that every woman who enters an abortion clinic has an opportunity to learn about abortion pill reversal. This continues to be highly critical work.
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Looking at the counties that make up the GCRTL area, we saw two counties (Fairfield and Union) with decreases and six with increases (Delaware, Franklin, Licking, Madison, Morrow, and Pickaway). However, we always remind our communities that this is just a snapshot of one statistic, and it does not reflect the whole picture of what we see in the community. Many areas of central Ohio are growing at a rapid pace, and year-to-year numbers can fluctuate quite significantly. Part of the reason that we look at these numbers is to know where to suggest programs and projects. In the next few months, we will be updating our abortion rate project which looks at abortion compared to population and live births. That said, we’ve got a lot of work ahead of us. 

​As always, we drew our figures from statistics provided by the Ohio Department of Health and note that these figures only include induced abortions reported to the Ohio Department of Health. From time to time, we or they may need to update our numbers because of data entry or other problems. There may be some duplication caused by failed medical abortions that were later performed as surgical. The numbers also include attempted abortions that failed and resulted in a live birth through abortion pill failure or abortion pill reversal. The figures do not include any abortions that were not reported to the Ohio Department of Health, either because they doctor failed to report or because the pills were obtained illegally. These statistics may also include a small number of pregnancies that were lost in a procedure taken to preserve a mother’s life, even if abortion was not the intended or wanted result. Finally, we often get some questions regarding how contraceptives or the morning after pill are counted in this report. While many forms of contraception and the morning after pill contain a mechanism that could prevent a fertilized egg from establishing in the uterine lining, the Ohio Abortion statistics only include those established pregnancies which are knowingly terminated. 

It is a great day, 47 years in the making, to see Founder’s closed permanently. You may remember that just two years ago, Founder’s closed temporarily as the clinic owners and management were in conflict. That ended with the management opening a new clinic (Your Choice). Founder’s reopened several months later. I continue to pray for the men and women who owned, worked at, volunteered with, or sought services at Founder’s Women’s Health, and I know that I am joined by many in the community.

Note: If any former abortion workers, volunteers, or supporters are reading this and would like to talk to someone, you are welcome to give us a call and we will listen or refer you to help. We also know that there are many women and men who are hurting following their own abortions and news of Founder’s closing may bring that pain forward. Help, forgiveness, and healing are available. You can find free, confidential help by contacting our office or visiting our website.

While we celebrate this day, I want to make it very clear that we are not here by accident; we are here because of countless people in our community who have prayed, fasted, offered up sufferings and sacrifices, and served those most in need. Our goal has always been to give women a better choice and end abortion, and we have made tremendous strides in that goal. As more and more women have received help and support, we have seen clinic after clinic that provide and promote abortions close in our community – not because of changes in laws and not because of changes in the courts, but because of changes in hearts and culture.

Seven years ago, I stepped down from the Board of Trustees to accept the position of executive director. At that time, we made the strategic but surprising decision to step back from political action to focus on building up individuals, families, churches, and communities. I am not one to see signs everywhere, but my first event as ED of GCRTL was the “Roe Rally” on the 40th anniversary of Roe V Wade. I remember feeling a great heaviness at the role I was taking on, but also feeling hopeful – mindful of the Biblical symbolism of 40 on that 40th Anniversary.

I decided – with the brash naivete that can only come from inexperience, that my goal at GCRTL was to see Founder’s – Ohio’s first abortion clinic, close. My predecessor started a sidewalk program that met mostly on weekends, and I decided that we would instead build a team to cover the clinics every day and every hour that Founder’s was open and then every day and every hour we could cover the other clinics. The plan was crazy, naïve, and impossible.

You may have heard the line, “We plan and God laughs…” Well, within my first week in this role, Complete Healthcare for Women, which at the time performed abortions, announced an expansion into Pickerington. Immediately, we rallied the local community and we continued our dedication to prayer, fasting, and counseling, focusing on the Pickerington and Cleveland Avenue locations. At that time, we also began identifying the dirty secrets of the abortion industry and making them public. By the end of 2014, Complete Healthcare for Women ceased doing abortions, one of the owners of Founder’s was indicted on charges of child pornography, and numerous cases of medical malpractice and filthy conditions were brought to light. We started encountering more and more women who would choose life when presented with prayerful, peaceful activism and options. Year after year, abortions declined significantly in central Ohio, and most years our region led the state in reductions. Specifically, we have reduced abortions by 40%. There have been 13,042 fewer abortions that have happened in central Ohio than had our numbers remained static at 2012 levels.  Comparably, statewide, the decline has only been 20% and the total state reduction in abortions has been 25,470. This is a jaw-dropping impact.

In the past seven years, there have been many moments where I have wondered if what we are doing is worth it. I’ve seen great volunteers leave for other missions, I’ve seen great volunteers get burned out, and I’ve seen casual volunteers turn into all-stars. I’ve cried with women hemorrhaging after their abortions, with women who regret their abortion, and with fathers who desperately wanted their children, and I’ve wept at the cold and hard-heartedness of those who are intent on abortion. We have been harassed and cursed by abortion advocates. We’ve seen division and squabbling and political factions. I’ve made mistakes by the handful. It hasn’t all been bad. I’ve met the most incredible, faith-filled people who give me more grace and more benefit of the doubt than I deserve. Together, we’ve celebrated women who turned away from their abortion appointments and met babies whose families credit our team with their babies’ lives. We’ve celebrated legislative and legal victories, and weathered through disappointments. But still, sometimes I wonder, has it been worth it?

Friends, it is worth it. Seven years ago, I felt the heaviness of 40 years of abortion and the toll it has taken on our community and our country. I still feel it. However, it is not lost on me that seven years after all of you stepped up to support my crazy, naïve, impossible plan to see Ohio’s first abortion clinic close, it has, because all things are possible with God and this amazing community striving to do His work.

So today I’m going to ask you to back me in another crazy, naïve, impossible (but totally possible) plan. Planned Parenthood’s abortion clinic on East Main Street opened its doors in 1999. We’ve already shown that a steady campaign of prayer, peaceful presence, public information, and offering life-affirming assistance can close Ohio’s first abortion clinic; now let’s show up until we close Ohio’s biggest abortion clinic.

We have a great model here in central Ohio; now all we need is your help. I said that the symbolism has not been lost on me. After 47 years in business, Ohio’s first abortion clinic closed during my 7th year work anniversary, but it also closed 7 days before my 40th birthday. I’m thankful to God for the most perfect gift He could have sent me.

But I’m asking you to consider helping me to celebrate my birthday by helping others to celebrate theirs. I’m asking for 40 new prayer partners and sidewalk ministers to step up to help me with this crazy, naïve, and impossible (but totally possible) plan. Our world is standing with Planned Parenthood, but for my birthday, I’m asking you to stand outside of Planned Parenthood. Sign up to join our sidewalk team, find another volunteer role, or support our work with a donation.​ Because with God, all things are possible!

Two weeks ago, information suggesting that Founder’s abortion clinic was closing first surfaced with news that the building had sold, and the last remaining licensed physician was retiring. Last week, a historically reliable source indicated that the clinic’s last day would be June 30th. Yesterday, a small group of our volunteers gathered to pray, observing that no patients entered or exited the building. Last evening, I encountered an employee of LabCorp who indicated that there would not be any more pickups at this location. Today, an employee of Founder’s confirmed that the clinic has closed permanently and that all patients would be referred to another location.

Thus, after 47 years in operation, 30 of them at 1243 E Broad Street, Ohio’s first abortion clinic is out of business. This closure is both a real and a symbolic victory for the unborn children of our community and the pro-life advocates who have been steadfast in their efforts to bring prayer, witness, and real help to the sidewalks outside of Founder’s.

Before we celebrate this wonderful news, we should pause for a few moments to remember the unborn children who have died at Founder’s and those who mourn them. While we cannot know the numbers, a reasonable calculated from available reports suggests that between 75,000 and 100,000 abortions were committed at the current location and perhaps as many as 25,000 to 50,000 (or more) at previous locations.

Each person, including the unborn, is of infinite value, and any effort to quantify a loss of this magnitude will fall short. At the same time, we– to one degree or another – have become so complacent and numb to the reality of abortion that perhaps we need to contemplate that number a little more. Let it rest on your heart for a moment that in one building, in one town, in one state, 75,000 to 100,000 unborn babies were intentionally brought for the purpose of causing their death. We have much to mourn, much to remember, and much to change.

I have struggled to find the words to mark this occasion – one that bring such disparate emotions. I am still a bit speechless, but I have found inspiration in the words of two men whose pro-life legacy shines brightly today. Twenty-five years ago, Pope St. John Paul II, addressing an audience primarily of women who had undergone abortions, said, “Certainly what happened was and remains terribly wrong. But do not give in to discouragement and do not lose hope. (EV, 99).” Ten years prior to that, former President Ronald Reagan wrote a eulogy for the fetal remains of 16,433 aborted babies that were found in an abandoned waste drum in Los Angeles, CA. After an intense legal battle, the babies were given humane burial. In his eulogy, Reagan wrote, “From these innocent dead, let us take increased devotion to the cause of restoring the rights of the unborn.”

In our time and in our context, I can give no more fitting eulogy than what has already been written:
What happened here was and remains terribly wrong, but do not give in to discouragement and do not lose hope. From these innocent dead, let us take devotion to the cause of restoring the rights of the unborn. Amen.

Founder’s is Closed: Thanks be to God.

This did not happen by accident or good fortune; it happened because we are doing good work in Ohio. Read more about our crazy, naive, and impossible plan to close Founders. 

A final note: If we estimate as many as 150,000 abortions were committed at Founders, we know that means there are countless men and women who are mourning the loss of a child lost to abortion. For all who struggle, especially those who received abortions at Founder's, there are many places that you can access free and confidential post abortion support. Find many of them on our website. 

Several years ago, Greater Columbus Right to Life broke news that T&S Management, an organization that has been in the abortion business for several decades in Ohio, had racked up millions of dollars in unpaid taxes, fees, and penalties to local, state, and federal tax entities, resulting in numerous lawsuits and liens. This includes a precipae for a tax lien from the Ohio Department of Taxation filed in March of 2020 for $973209.64. T&S Management is the parent company owned by nurse Terrie Hubbard and her husband that owned several abortion clinics in Ohio under the name/brand “Capital Care Network.” In 2012, the Columbus Capital Care Network closed, and T&S Management began managing the operations at Founder’s abortion clinic, Ohio’s first abortion clinic.  It is notable that Founder’s is rumored to soon close, and according to sources familiar with the clinic operations, the owners of T&S Management owe the physicians hundreds of thousands of dollars because of unpaid vendors and other lapses.

In 2018, possibly in part to the news that we were breaking to the public about the operational dysfunction of the clinic, the owners and management of Founder’s separated, resulting in litigation that exposed many internal practices and confirmed our sense of the breadth of the fraud and unethical behavior. At that time, the principal at T&S opened a new abortion pill-only clinic on Karl Road in Columbus, named “Your Choice Healthcare.” Around the same time, an intense legal battle arose around the operating permit of the Capital Care Network of Toledo surgical license and the clinic’s handling of a patient with a potentially perforated bowel resulted in a significant fine by the Ohio Department of Health. Capital Care Network of Toledo subsequently ‘changed ownership’ to someone who is believed to be a family member of the original owner and the new clinic “Capital Care of Toledo” began to operate as an abortion-pill only clinic. The semi-closure and subsequently-closely related reopening of a new facility in many ways mirrored what happened after Capital Care Network of Cuyahoga Falls was shut down by the DEA and the Ohio Department of Health for a variety of infractions including improper handling of medicine and stealing patient blood. That clinic is now run by a former CCN abortion provider.

If there was any doubt that not paying the bills at Founder’s was an oversight rather than a standard practice of the group running Your Choice and affiliated clinics, that was put to rest earlier this week as LabCorp filed a lawsuit in the Columbus Court of Common Please citing more than $15,311 in unpaid laboratory bills from March through December of 2019.

There is massive political and cultural pressure to insulate the abortion industry from being held to the same standards that other businesses, especially those what provide medical services, provide. What we really see, time and time again, is that their business practices are as distorted and disgusting as the practice of abortion itself.

We will continue to insist that elected and public officials hold abortion clinics accountable. At a minimum, Your Choice and its related entities should be investigated to see if their actions rise to the level of fraud and if it is a coordinated effort. At this rate, however, it is possible that the clinic will close because no one will do business with them anymore because of their habit of not paying their bills.

Thank you to everyone who has supported the ongoing work of Greater Columbus Right to Life, where we work every day to bring the light of Christ to the dark places where abortion exists and to shine a light on the practices society would hide. The cancellation of our banquet this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic means that we are asking our supporters to acknowledge that our work is "essential" even if our banquet was not. You can help us keep the lights on by donating online or mailing your gift to: GCRTL; 208 E State Street, 3rd Floor; Columbus, OH 43215. 

Laws with Unintended Consequences: Amendments to SB 1 Help Unlawful Abortion Clinics

Despite many, many gains, pro-life voices have been frustrated in recent weeks and months. You may remember federal judges declaring abortion an essential service, exempting surgical abortion clinics from orders of Director Acton and Attorney General Yost to cease under Ohio’s initial emergency orders on non-essential and non-emergency procedures. Not long ago, we were gutted to learn that infamous abortion provider Martin Haskell was able to re-open his late-term Dayton abortion clinic again just days after losing a lengthy legal battle over his operating without a transport agreement or a variance. How did he do it? Simply by changing a few details and applying for a new permit because Ohio law says that the ODH director “shall” issue a license to anyone who submits the correct paperwork (ORC 3702.30(D))**. Maddening.

But, if you think that it is difficult to shut down abortion clinics (or keep them from opening) now, I have some bad news: an unintended consequence of amendments the Ohio House added to SB1, a regulatory reform bill, seem to prevent the Ohio Department of Health from closing any abortion clinic (or licensed facility) for more than 14 days.

On its surface, SB 1 has nothing to do with abortion. It is a regulatory reform bill that deals with regulations that go through a little-known committee called the Joint Committee on Agency Rule Review (JCARR). For those of you who are not yet tired of home-school for this year, you can learn a little more about JCARR here. It is fairly unique to Ohio and an really good example of legislative oversight of the executive branch. For that reason (and because the timing was right), Ohio House Republicans who have expressed strong concerns with the Governor’s response to the Coronavirus, amended the bill to include several provisions that to specifically limit any orders of the Ohio Department of Health to 14 days unless the orders are approved by a supermajority of JCARR, with three of five members from each of the House and the Senate approving of the orders. The amendments also create a new enforcement mechanism that gives legal standing to any Ohioans to sue under the law and it backdates the law’s effective date to include the current coronavirus response. They then sent it back to the Senate.

To say that this has caused a great deal of political reactions is an understatement. First, those who are opposed to the pace that Ohio’s economy is reopening are strong proponents of the amendments and are flooding Senate offices with demands to pass the bill. This, by the way, includes several pro-life groups in Ohio. Others have expressed concern with the constitutionality of the amendments on several fronts, including that you can’t pass retroactive laws and that laws are not effective for 90 days unless they contain an “emergency clause” and have a supermajority vote. Others have noted that this is fundamental shift in how JCARR functions. Governor DeWine has indicated that he will veto the bill.

If you are still reading this deep dive into Ohio’s politics, you probably want to know why on earth GCRTL would wade into this mess and how it has anything to do with making it even more difficult to close down abortion clinics.

Well, to explain, the law is not interpreted by how it is intended, but in how it is written. The person who first said, “the devil is in the details” was probably talking about legal or legislative writing, because while it seems pretty obvious that the intention of the House was not to make it harder to close abortion clinics, the language they used actually said, “No order of the department shall be effective for a period exceeding fourteen days, except with the approval of the joint committee on agency rule review, as described in section 101.36 of the Revised Code” (if you want to look it up yourself, it starts at line 638 - look for the "House- Passed" version). Unfortunately, it didn’t say “in the instance of pandemics” or even “for the purpose of this section….” It said, “No order.” What most people do not realize is that when the Department of Health takes action to close an abortion clinic (and other licensed facilities), it does so by order of the Director of the Department of Health. You can read my letter to President Obhof detailing these concerns here, and you can see the attachments I included here and here and here. I think it is pretty clear that this would apply to abortion clinics.
 
Those who are familiar with the Gosnell story know that a huge part of the reason that he was able to operate in such filth and callousness was in very large part due to the politicization of the oversight work of the Pennsylvania Health Department. That is, frankly, something that we cannot allow to happen here in Ohio. Pro-life voices currently have a majority in both the House and the Senate, but that could change at any time. If that were to happen, a pro-abortion majority in either chamber could allow an order to close a clinic to expire after 14 days simply by refusing to meet.

With that in mind, it seems meaningful that this week marks the 7th anniversary of the day when Philadelphia abortion provider Kermit Gosnell was found guilty of the first degree murder of three infants born alive after attempted abortions, one count of involuntary manslaughter in the death of his patient: Karnamaya Mongar, and hundreds of lesser charges. We cannot let Ohio go down that path.
 
There is zero reason to think that this was an intended effect of SB1, and if the process had allowed for more public input, I do not think that the House would have knowingly passed language that left so much concerning ambiguity, but this is the language that is before the Senate, and their options are to concur (agree with) or not to the House amendments.
 
If you would like to call or email your Senator and tell him or her that you are pro-life and do not want them to pass SB 1 until they can be sure it would not limit the Director’s authority to close abortion clinics or other licensed facilities that endanger the health and safety or prey on the vulnerable, you can find contact information here. 

**Note that some browsers occasionally have problems with direct links to the revised code. If you pull up an "empty" file at this link, click on the "Ohio Revised Code" link and then click "Title 37."  That will open up the section of the code that governs health. If you click on "3702 Hospital Assurance" and then scroll down to 3702.30 you will reach the correct section of the code. The applicable line is line (D). 

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Central Ohio Abortion Rate 2018
 
The abortion rate in Central Ohio has significantly dropped from 4844 in 2017 to 3706 in 2018.
Note: in the e-news-version of this story, a typo in this article was produced throughout. The abortion rate declined by 25%, not 36%. Consider that our goal for next year! - BV.
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If you have not heard, Ohio’s abortion statistics report was issued today. Each fall, Ohio’s Department of Health issues abortion statistics for the year prior. The statistics look at various demographic information like where the abortion was performed and where the mother who had the abortion resides. It tracks the method of abortion – both distinguishing between surgical and non surgical abortions but also breaking down types of procedures within the larger subset. It also looks at things like the mother’s race and ethnicity, the number of reported prior abortions or live births, her education, her age, and her marital status. You can review a copy of the 2018 Ohio Abortion Statistics online here (warning – it is a larger pdf file).

Earlier this month, the pro-abortion Guttmacher Institute released a report detailing a national decline in the number of abortions over the past seven years. The abortion advocacy research organization argues that the proliferation of pro-life laws does not explain the reduction in total abortions but also indicates that some of the decrease is due to abortion restrictions passed by various states.

In context, the report issued by Ohio today shows that the local abortion rate has fallen by nearly 25% and that abortions in Ohio have hit another all-time low.  In all, the number of abortions statewide decreased from 20,893 abortions in 2017 to 20,425 in 2018.

Statewide, the reduction in abortion is largely among women aged 19 or younger. The majority of women having abortions continue to be unmarried, with 79% reporting that they are single, divorced, separated, or widowed. Approximately 10% did not disclose their marital status and about 10% reported being married. Among the women who reported their race, about 48% were white, about 44% were African American, about 6% were Hispanic, and about 4% were Asian/Pacific Islander. Another 4% reported multiple ethnicity.
The Ohio abortion statistics report tracks abortion by two metrics. One is by the county in which the abortion was performed and the other is by where the mother reports that she resides.
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A record-breaking crowd joined Greater Columbus Right to Life for its annual banquet on Monday, June 10th, at the Villa Milano with special guest, Dr. William Lile, The Pro-Life Doc. Pictures from the event are available here.

Dr. William Lile is a pro-life OB/GYN who is licensed to practice in Florida and in Alabama. In 1999 he took over a practice that was also the largest provider of abortion services in Pensacola. All abortion services and abortion referrals were stopped on the first day. The abortionist retired and left the country. The abortion equipment is now used to demonstrate the brutality of abortions performed in all 3 trimesters. Today, there is no one offering abortions in the Florida panhandle and Dr. Lile uses his experience and information about modern obstetrics to demonstrate the life and personhood of the unborn. For Dr. Lile, all unborn children are treated as patients, no matter how small. 

Dr. Lile is also one of more than 700 physicians across the country who is providing the Abortion Pill Reversal procedure, and he serves on the medical advisory board for Heartbeat International and the Abortion Pill Reversal Network, which to date has seen more than 750 successful reversal of the abortion pill in the United States. Dr. Lile explained to the crowd, “Opiate addiction is a major problem in the United States. The medical community understands that if someone misuses an opiate and experiences an overdose, we can administer a medicine like Narcan to reverse many of those overdoses and save the patient’s life. Abortion pill reversal is no different – if a woman takes the first dose of the abortion pill regimen and realizes she has made a mistake, we can often administer a drug commonly used in obstetric care to reverse the abortion and save the unborn patient’s life.” Dr. Lile shared that his practice in Florida just provided its sixth successful abortion pill reversal of 2019.

The procedure works because the abortion pill is a combination of two medicines. The first blocks a pregnant woman’s body from producing progesterone, which causes the death of her unborn child. A second medicine often used causes her body to expel the then-deceased child. The mechanism of the Abortion Pill Reversal (APR) is that it provides additional progesterone to a woman, counteracting the progesterone-blocking mechanism. It can be taken up to 72 hours after administering the abortion pill, but is most successful when taken in the first 24 hours. Progesterone is commonly used in obstetrical care to support healthy pregnancies, especially in women at risk of miscarriage.

In recent years, the percentage of local women choosing non-surgical methods of abortion has skyrocketed from about 3 percent to more than 30% locally, and GCRTL has seen first-hand women who walked out of the abortion clinic, experienced immediate regret, and wanted to reverse the process. Several years ago, a group of Seminarians were praying outside of Founder’s, and they witnessed a woman who came out and attempted to induce vomiting, crying out ‘what did I just do? What did I just do?’ We were just starting to hear about the APR process then, but our team was not yet familiar with it. Since then, we have been very invested in making sure that women, our volunteers, and the greater community know about Abortion Pill Reversal.

Legislation pending in the Ohio General Assembly would require that Ohio’s abortion informed consent law be updated to include information about the availability of abortion pill reversal. Not surprisingly, the effort has been decried by abortion advocates and the media, calling it “junk science” or an unnecessary effort to increase abortion stigma.

It seems surprising that advocates for so-called ‘choice’ would oppose expanding the options for a woman who changed her mind about her abortion. They are asserting, basically, that a woman does not have the right to information that, if she chooses, would allow her to withdraw consent from an abortion procedure. The more than 750 babies who have been born following APR are the best witnesses to the efficacy of the process. Dr. Lile added, “we are currently seeing success rates in the hundreds, and soon the thousands and the tens of thousands, and as more and more women are electing to have a chemical (non-surgical) abortion, it is vital that we continue this work from both the perspective of saving lives and also confirming the science involved.”

Greater Columbus Right to Life provides abortion pill reversal information and referrals to the national APR hotline, which is based here in Columbus out of the offices of Heartbeat International, to each client that their team of volunteers interacts with. In the last year, the group has provided information to more than 1000 women at the clinic as part of their ministry work. Proceeds from the evening’s fundraiser will support their programs such as sidewalk ministry, education – including an upcoming APR informational series, and other projects – such as the advanced medical directives project.

If you were not able to attend the fundraiser but would like to make a donation to support their work, you can visit www.gcrtl.org/gift.

To learn more about Abortion Pill Reversal, visit: www.abortionpillreversal.com.

Planned Parenthood of Greater Ohio's East Surgical Center: quotas, no matter what...
 
You won’t find many people who are truly gung-ho about abortion. Even the most ardent pro-choice voters simply want women to be able to make the decision, but they don’t often cheer when a baby is killed. You would be hard-pressed to find someone who wants to increase the number of aborted children.

Unless, of course, you’re talking about Planned Parenthood. The chilling fact is we have evidence of something alarming happening even within our own community: Planned Parenthood's East Surgical Center has abortion quotas.

We have proof — provided by none other than Planned Parenthood itself.

That’s right. Abortion for Planned Parenthood is not a last resort. This is about killing as many unborn children as possible to make more money; it’s a budget balanced in blood money. An ultrasound alone costs $200 at Planned Parenthood, and abortion costs range between $540 - $1,100, depending on a woman’s stage of pregnancy. We aren't making this up; you can check out their website here, or catch the screen shot here. 

We recently learned of a job posting for a Planned Parenthood clinic manager at the east surgical facility in Columbus, Ohio. The responsibilities listed include “accepting individual and joint responsibility for, and lead the surgery center’s efforts to achieve annual surgical visit goals.” Click this link for the job description, or check out a screenshot here and here.
 
Abortion is the only procedure offered at this Planned Parenthood. In fact, there has long been a sign on the door reminding patients (or customers) that they do not offer any family planning services at the location. The phrase “annual surgical visit goals” is code for annual abortion goals. Planned Parenthood needs women to have abortions to keep the lights on and to continue profiting off from killing unborn children.

Sue Thayer, a former employee of Planned Parenthood explains, “As a Planned Parenthood Center Manager for nearly 18 years, I know that abortion services are their biggest moneymaker and top priority. Each center was given a monthly goal. Failure to meet abortion quotas necessitated a corrective action plan, a reprimand or worse. Reaching the abortion goal was often rewarded with extra PTO, lunch with the CEO or even a pizza party. I'm sad to say it, but free pizza was a huge motivator for staff to sell abortions. Purchasing a few pizzas was a small price to pay in return for a packed schedule on abortion day.”

Of course, Planned Parenthood denies having abortion quotas. See what they have to say on the matter by clicking here. After that, see how Snopes covered the topic by clicking here.

We know Planned Parenthood has been caught in a bevy of falsehoods before. A simple Google search will make that plain. Is this just the location in Columbus? Nope. It’s a widespread issue. Check out this article here from The Washington Times.

How they can possible refute this when it’s literally listed in their own job description?

Remember, this is all about the money. The more babies are killed, the more dollars they earn. 

Life Site News recently crunched the numbers and found that over half of Planned Parenthood’s non-government income comes from abortions (52%). Although Planned Parenthood claims that abortion comprises on 3.4% of its services, they upped their abortion quotas by nearly 4% over the past three years. In total, Planned Parenthood’s abortion revenue accounts for about 11%, which is about $200 million.

Let’s face it. Planned Parenthood needs abortion quotas to keep the lights on.

Note: Unlike Planned Parenthood, Greater Columbus Right to Life does not receive any taxpayer dollars; we rely entirely on the generosity of our donors to keep the lights on. If you would like to support the work to expose and end abortion in central Ohio, you can make a donation here. If you are not able to make a donation at this time, please consider offering a prayer for our work or joining us as a volunteer. If you are visiting from outside the central Ohio area, consider volunteering with your local organization.

​The Right to Know and the Right to Life

This week we were at a press conference announcing that Representative Niraj Antani (R-Miamisburg) and Senator Peggy Lehner (R–Dayton) will introduce legislation in the Ohio House and Senate to amend Ohio’s informed consent law to require that women seeking abortion counseling get information about the Abortion Pill Reversal (APR) protocol.

Doctors have successfully reversed chemical abortions by administering doses of the hormone progesterone, which is necessary for maintain a healthy pregnancy. In the process of a chemical abortion, a woman initially takes a mifepristone pill, which blocks progesterone and causes the unborn child to be disconnected from the uterine lining. Several days later, she takes a second drug (misoprostol) to remove the contents of her uterus. The APR protocol consists of providing a woman who has taken the first dose of the abortion pill with supplemental progesterone within 72 hours (but preferably within 24 hours). By taking progesterone over a number of weeks to overcome the deficiency caused by mifepristone, is possible that the woman can save her baby. Over 750 babies have been born following the reversal protocol, which is similar in nature to a medical protocol that is frequently used to help women who are at high risk of miscarriage due to progesterone insufficiency. The protocol was recently described in a BBC article about reducing miscarriage.

“It is perfectly reasonable to require that the informed consent process include this indispensable piece of information that this procedure can be stopped once it has started,” Sen. Peggy Lehner said, during a pro-life press conference at the Statehouse on May 14, 2019.

​Surprisingly, organizations that claim to a woman’s “right to choose” vehemently oppose the legislation and have embarked on an extensive campaign to dispute the science of the bill, a drumbeat which has been picked up by Ohio’s media.

Much of their argument stems from a lack of medical trials on the process. However, they fail to recognize that a medical trial pertaining to abortion is unethical, as it inevitably results in killing the life of an unborn child. In medical trials, there is always a control group, which either receives a placebo or experimental drug. In testing the effects of progesterone on a woman who has taken mifepristone, it would be necessary to induce an abortion, either by giving the patients in the control group a placebo or by later performing an abortion, if the abortion pill reversal procedure is successful. However, the purpose of medicine is to promote maternal and fetal health, not death.

GCRTL’s executive director commented, “With more than one-third of local abortions being performed via the abortion pill, it is important that the community be aware that reversal is possible. A woman who changes her mind after she starts the abortion process has the right to withdraw her consent from inducing the death of her child, and if abortion advocates were truly in the business of supporting women’s choices they would be the first to recommend this process, even if it only provided a fraction of a percent of success.” Initial studies suggest the APR protocol has a 68-74% success rate.

One of the national leaders of the Abortion Pill Reversal process will be in Columbus on Monday, June 10th for the Greater Columbus Right to Life’s banquet. There is no cost to attend, although advance registration is required. There will be an opportunity to make a donation to support the work of GCRTL following the program.

If you or someone you know may benefit from the abortion pill reversal procedure, you can call their help hotline (877) 558-0333 or visit https://www.abortionpillreversal.com/. 

Did you miss your opportunity to watch the Gosnell Film at theaters?

Join Greater Columbus Right to Life and the Respect Life Committee at St. Simon and Jude Church (9350 High Free Pike, West Jefferson, OH 43162) for a showing of the film on Wednesday, May 22nd at 6:30 pm. Following the movie, GCRTL staff will be available to take questions and talk about local clinic conditions and opportunities to get involved in pro-life work.

Gosnell is the true story of the investigation and trial of America’s most prolific serial killer. Kermit Gosnell, the Philadelphia Abortion Doctor was brought to trial in 2013 after operating his abortion clinic for over 30 years while public authorities turned a blind eye to the atrocities taking place there. The film is rated PG-13. Many have asked, but the film is not "gory" in nature. 

Popcorn and sodas will be served. To assist with planning, advance registration is requested, but not required.