By Cheryl Sullenger
Sacramento, CA – Operation Rescue has been provided documents that show Maryland abortionist Abolghassem M. Gohari was forced by the California Medical Board to surrender his California medical license last year. The license surrender order was based on actions taken by the Maryland Board of Physicians in 2012, which found that Gohari had engaged in substandard abortion practices and verbally abused two patients during profanity-laced tirades.
The California Medical Board ordered Gohari not to apply for reinstatement of his license for at least three years.
In the 2012 Maryland action, Gohari was reprimanded, place on probation for one year, and ordered to pay $10,000 in fines for allowing unqualified staff to diagnose pregnancies and distribute abortion pills at his now-closed Gaithersburg abortion facility without him being present. Gohari also admitted to losing his temper when women questioned his illegal practices.
Gohari, an Iranian native, continues to operate two abortion facilities in College Park and Suitland, Maryland, under the Metropolitan Family Planning Institute banner. Both facilities were cited in 2013 for numerous deficiencies during licensing inspections that mostly related to sanitation and infection control lapses. Failure to follow proper cleaning and sanitation rules can result in the transfer of infections among patients.
Violations included:

• Staff observed handling bloody sanitary napkins then touching doorknobs and other areas without changing gloves.
• Staff failed to wash hands between glove changes.
• Dirty, bloody plastic hoses were found in a bucket directly next to “clean” hoses.
• Failure to properly sanitize surgical equipment.
• Failure to properly maintain autoclaves that are used to sanitize surgical equipment.
• Never laundered uncovered cloth pillow found on the abortion table or change disposable stirrup foot covers between patients.
• Failure to make or record discharge diagnoses for patients.

Both of Gohari’s abortion clinics were notified that they could be subject to unannounced follow-up visits to ensure that corrections were actually made, but there is no record that either facility ever received a follow-up visit.
Gohari also has a history of abortion-related medical malpractice suits that allege patient injuries such as incomplete abortion, bowel laceration, and ruptured ectopic pregnancy.
“There’s no way for the Maryland Department of Health to know if any of the sloppy and potentially dangerous practices were ever corrected by Gohari. Taking his word for it simply isn’t good enough,” said Operation Rescue President Troy Newman. “The California Medical Board got it right when it banned Gohari from practicing in that state. The slap on the wrist that Gohari received from Maryland only served to place women at continued risk.”
Documentation:

  • View the 2013 California License Surrender Order.
  • View the 2012 Maryland Disciplinary order.
  • View the Deficiency Report for Gohari’s College Park (Berwyn Heights) abortion facility.
  • View the Deficiency Report for Gohari’s Suitland abortion facility.

    • [HT: Carole Novielli]