Search Results for: martin haskell

Symbol of Victory: Haskell’s Sharonville Abortion Building For Sale

October 7, 2014 By Leave a Comment

By Cheryl Sullenger

Sharonville, OH – For those who have been actively opposing abortion for a number of years, reading a recently-posted Internet ad offering a non-descript commercial building for sale in the Cincinnati suburbs is almost an emotional experience.

Last week, the infamous Ohio late-term abortionist Martin Haskell put his Sharonville abortion building up for sale.

“This is a sign of victory for those of us who fought for years to close Haskell’s abortion notorious late-term abortion mills,” said Troy Newman, President of Operation Rescue. “The ‘for sale’ ad for his Sharonville abortion facility is proof that united efforts to expose wrongdoing in the abortion cartel, enact laws and demand enforcement can work to make a community abortion free, no matter how strong or powerful an abortion business appears.”

For 32 years, Haskell has operated his nationally-known abortion facility in the Cincinnati area. While he also operates another abortion clinic in the Dayton area that specializes in the grisly late-term abortion procedures that he helped develop, Cincinnati is the city Haskell calls home and the clinic he operated there for over three decades was his daily place of business, making that location especially significant.

Once located near a large university campus, in 2010 Haskell moved his Women’s Med Center abortion clinic to a more modern office in the Cincinnati suburb of Sharonville. That move angered local residents and neighboring medical professionals, who were offended that Haskell had moved his abortion business to their community. Even the mayor of Sharonville declared Haskell’s facility a Danger to the public” and worked diligently to close Haskell’s operation in his town.

“We saw the Sharonville community unite with state and national pro-life groups to expose wrong-doing at Haskell’s abortion facility and work through the system to bring his business to a close,” said Newman. “Just a few years ago, no one would have thought closing Haskell’s abortion headquarters was even possible. Today, it is reality. Within four years of his relocation to Sharonville, Haskell is out of business there. It’s an amazing testimony to the success of unified, goal-oriented pro-life work.”

Haskell’s downfall was a law that requires abortionists to maintain transfer agreements with local hospitals in the event of medical emergencies. Haskell was not able to obtain such an agreement, yet was allowed to operate for years on a variance that excused him from the safety requirement as long as he maintained an approved agreement with at least two other physicians who could provide hospital care to women seriously injured during Haskell abortions.

Not only did Operation Rescue document a number of ambulances at Haskell facilities and publish incriminating 911 recordings obtains through public records requests, but their research uncovered the fact that the physicians with which he had emergency care agreements were a troubled lot that had suffered discipline in neighboring states and/or had been sued for medical malpractice numerous times.

After altering his emergency agreements without the required approval of the Ohio Department of Health, earlier this year Haskell’s variance renewal was denied and his facility license revoked. Haskell sued to overturn the revocation, but his last defeat in court in August finally forced him to halt abortions in Sharonville.

“The system provides pro-life supporters ample tools to end abortion. Demanding the enforcement of existing laws that we all know abortionists will never obey can end abortion no matter who sits in the White House or what the composition of the Supreme Court might be,” said Newman, who recently published a book, Abortion Free, which outlines how to use peaceful, legal means to shut down abortion businesses.

Currently, Haskell continues to operate his Dayton clinic on a variance similar to the one that was denied in Sharonville. Approval of his most recent variance renewal is pending.

“We will keep praying and working to close Haskell’s remaining abortion facility. Even though shutting down Haskell’s late-term abortion business once seemed an unattainable dream, we know that it can be done, and the ‘for sale’ ad posted for his Sharonville office is an encouraging sign that proves it.”

Filed Under: Pro-Life Tagged With: , ,

BREAKING NEWS: Haskell’s Attorneys Will Not Appeal Closure Order, Surgical Abortions to End Friday in Sharonville

August 20, 2014 By 7 Comments

By Cheryl Sullenger

sharonvilleCincinnati, OH — Attorneys for Martin Haskell’s Sharonville abortion facility have announced that they will not appeal a ruling issued last week by Judge Jerome Metz upholding the Ohio Department of Health’s closure order. Haskell must cease surgical abortions his Sharonville office by Friday, August 22, 2014.

“This is such a huge victory for all who respect life and the rule of law,” said Troy Newman, President of Operation Rescue, which worked with Greater Cincinnati Right to Life to expose Haskell’s abortion abuses. “Haskell had the attitude that he was above the law and deserved to operate under a different standard as everyone else. Today, the law has prevailed.”

Haskell operated for years under a variance issued by the ODH that allowed him to continue operating as long as he maintained an approved agreement with two physicians to supply hospital care for women injured during abortions done by Haskell in Sharonville. However, Haskell continually changed the agreement without notifying the ODH. The physicians he had agreements with were a troubled lot that case doubt on whether they could supply adequate hospital care for patients.

The ODH declined to renew Haskell’s variance in January and revoked his facility license. Haskell appealed the decision, but lost every step of the way.

Haskell has operated in the Cincinnati area for 32 years. Over the past 18 months, nearly half of Ohio’s abortion facilities have closed.

“When the authorities enforce the law, abortion clinics close,” said Newman. “This just shows that abortion facilities, including Haskell’s, operate at such a low standard that women are endangered at them every day. The state is fulfilling their duty to protect the public by shutting down abortion businesses that can’t comply with the law.”

Filed Under: Press Releases, Pro-Life Tagged With: , ,

Judge Upholds Order to Close Haskell’s Cincinnati Area Abortion Facility

August 15, 2014 By 4 Comments

This news is just in: Late-term abortionist Martin Haskell has lost a bid to overturn an Ohio Health Department order to close his facility because it does not meet minimum requirements for licensure. Below is a release from Greater Cincinnati Right to Life, which has been working with Operation Rescue to expose wrongdoing at that facility and close it down.

“Today is a victory for the rule of law and for women and their babies who have been subjected to practices that endanger them,” said Operation Rescue President Troy Newman. “We hope that Haskell will respect the law and shut down his illegal abortion business. If he doesn’t, we pan to continue to work within the laws of Ohio to bring his dangerous abortion practice to an end.”

Read background information from Operation Rescue
__________
Statement from Greater Cincinnati Right to Life:

August 15, 2014 (Cincinnati, OH): Today Hamilton County Court of Common Pleas Judge Jerry Metz heard arguments from lawyers for abortionist Martin Haskell and the Attorney General on Lebanon Road Surgery Center vs. State of Ohio Department of Health.

Ruling:

Judge Metz concurred with Magistrate Michael Bachman and upheld the Ohio Department of Health’s January 2014 order to close the Sharonville, Ohio Lebanon Road Surgery Center (aka Women’s Med Center), for failing to have a written transfer agreement with a local hospital or a variance, i.e., exception, to cover patient emergencies.

Judge Metz also did not extend the stay of execution he approved for the abortion facility during the appeal process. This stay expires in five days.

Upon today’s decision, the case will no longer be heard in the Hamilton County Court of Common Pleas, but Women’s Med Center attorneys may possibly appeal to the First Appellate District Court of Appeals.

Next Steps:

If the Women’s Med Center does not appeal to the First Appellate District Court of Appeals, the Women’s Med Center will be closed.

If the Women’s Med Center does appeal to the First Appellate District Court of Appeals within the next five days and obtains a stay of execution, it will seamlessly stay open. Or it could appeal to this court and seek and obtain a stay later.

“Judge Metz has now protected women’s health and safety by enforcing lawful medical safety requirements,” said Paula Westwood, Executive Director, Right to Life of Greater Cincinnati. “We are cautiously optimistic, as we do not know whether Martin Haskell will appeal to the next court.”

Tuesday, August 12th, NARAL filed a lawsuit on behalf of the Women’s Med Center against the Ohio Department of Health, disputing ODH variance requirements. The lawsuit came just days before today’s hearing, as is still pending.

Filed Under: Press Releases, Pro-Life Tagged With: , , ,

Late-term Abortionist Haskell Sues ODH to Circumvent Another Closure Order

August 13, 2014 By 3 Comments

By Cheryl Sullenger

Cincinnati, OH – Martin Haskell, a nationally-known late-term abortionist who helped develop the now outlawed Partial-Birth Abortion procedure, has sued the Ohio Department of Health this week for ordering his Sharonville abortion facility to close because it does not meet the minimum medical safety standards in Ohio law.

This suit comes just days before Judge Jerome Metz is set to rule on Haskell’s appeal of the ODH’s order to close.

In July, Magistrate Michael Bachman ruled that the ODH had the authority to close abortion businesses and ordered Haskell to shut down his Sharonville abortion business by July 10. Judge Metz intervened and issued a stay on Bachman’s order until he had time to consider the issues involved in the case. He is expected to issue his ruling on Friday.

“By suing the Ohio Department of Health for simply enforcing the law, Haskell appears to be attempting to hedge his bets in the event Judge Metz upholds the closure orders. It is a frivolous action meant to delay closure of his unsafe abortion facility for as long as possible,” said Troy Newman, President of Operation Rescue. “Haskell truly believes that as an abortionist, he is above the law and has the right to ignore the same safety rules that everyone else must follow. His disrespect for the law and for medical standards makes him dangerous.”

“This abortion provider will stop at nothing to skirt the law,” said Paula Westwood, Executive Director of Right to Life of Greater Cincinnati, which is organizing a prayer vigil along with Created Equal outside Metz’s courtroom on Friday, August 15 from 9:00 -10:00 a.m. at the Hamilton County Court of Common Pleas in Cincinnati.

The pro-abortion group NARAL has also called for activists to protest at the Court during Friday’s hearing in opposition to the ODH’s attempt to enforce Ohio’s medical safety law.

For years, Haskell had been operating on an ODH-approved variance that allowed him to continue operations as long as he had an agreement with two physicians to provide hospital care for his abortion patients that suffered from complications.

sharonvilleIn January, the ODH declined to renew his variance out of frustration with Haskell’s unauthorized alterations to his agreements with an ever-changing list of troubled abortionists such as Walter T. Bowers. This placed Haskell in violation and forced the ODH to revoke his facility license and order him to close.

Bowers’ incompetence was publicly exposed by Operation Rescue, which discovered that he had been banned from the practice of obstetrics in Kentucky after his botched delivery of a wanted baby resulted in a dead child. He was placed on five years of probation and settled a claim with the parents for $250,000.

“There is a history of problems with this particular ambulatory surgery facility and operator,” an ODH spokeswoman told the Cincinnati Enquirer in January. “The agency no longer has confidence that this ambulatory surgery facility will take necessary steps to operate in accordance with regulations.”

Operation Rescue has recently documented four medical emergencies at Haskell’s two Ohio abortion clinics, raising serious concerns for patient safety. In March 2012, Haskell personally placed a 911 call from his Sharonville clinic and was heard laughing at the dispatcher who offered emergency information.

“How many closure orders does it take to shut down an illegal abortion operation in Ohio? We urge Judge Metz to uphold the ODH closure order in the interest of public safety and rule of law. We also call on the court to dismiss Haskell’s most recent frivolous lawsuit against the ODH for simply doing their duty to protect the public,” said Newman.

Filed Under: Pro-Life Tagged With: , , ,

Court Orders Haskell to Shut Down His Cincinnati-Area Abortion Facility By 4 PM Today

July 10, 2014 By 2 Comments

UPDATE- July 11:Judge stays closure order again, but this is not over! Read statement from GCRTL.

UPDATE: We are now hearing that today’s ruling may be stayed by another judge. If it is, that will allow Haskell to remain open even though his abortion business cannot comply with the law. This is a breaking news story. Please stay tuned for updates as we get them. -OR Staff

SharonvilleBotchCincinnati, OH — Magistrate Michael L. Bachman released a decision this morning ordering late-term abortionist Martin Haskell shut down his Sharonville, Ohio, abortion facility as of 4:00 pm EDT today.

“There was a time that pro-life supporters believed that shutting down the notorious late-term abortionist Martin Haskell was simply not possible. Today’s ruling proves that, with God’s help, nothing is impossible,” said Operation Rescue President Troy Newman. “With work and a little ingenuity, it is possible to make every community in America abortion free!”

Magistrate Bachman ruled that Haskell’s abortion business was rightfully denied a variance that would have exempted him from having to comply with an Ohio law that requires abortion clinics operating as Ambulatory Surgical Facilities to maintain hospital transfer agreements. Haskell has no such agreement and without one, he cannot be legally licensed.

In 2010, Haskell closed his out-dated Cincinnati abortion clinic and moved to a newer office in the Cincinnati suburb of Sharonville. His own hospital arrangement was cancelled, forcing him to apply for a variance. The ODH originally granted the variance under the condition that Haskell maintain an approved agreement with two physicians to provide his patients with hospital care in the event of an emergency.

However, other abortionists used by Haskell for such an agreement had a laundry list of disciplinary issues that forced them to withdraw. Haskell formed unapproved agreements with other abortionists, leading the ODH to question whether Haskell was capable of conforming to the requirements in the law.

Finally, on January 17, 2014, the ODH rejected Haskell’s variance application and revoked his ASF license. Haskell appealed, and obtained a stay on the ODH closure order and remained open. That stay was lifted by today’s order, which ends Haskell’s ability to remain open legally.

Haskell has 14 days to file objection, but it is doubtful that any objection could succeed — and certainly not before today’s closure deadline.

Operation Rescue worked with Greater Cincinnati Right to Life to expose abortion-related injuries and other abuses at Haskell’s Sharonville facility that demonstrated the need to end Haskell’s variances and close down that abortion business in the interest of public safety.

Read the Court Order

Filed Under: Press Releases, Pro-Life Tagged With: ,
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