That order told doctors and hospitals to reschedule non-essential procedures. Some examples of criteria given to determine what constitutes an essential surgery are is there threat to the patient’s life, a permanent dysfunction of an extremity or organ system, risk of metastasis or progression of staging and risk of rapidly worsening to severe symptoms? It did not provide a list of banned or accepted surgeries.
On March 20, Ohio’s Deputy Attorney General, Jonathan Fulkerson, wrote a letter to Planned Parenthood Southwest Ohio that non-essential surgical abortions were included in that order. That letter came after groups including Cincinnati Right to Life contacted Gov. Mike DeWine and Ohio Department of Health Director Amy Acton saying Planned Parenthood locations were still open.
“The Ohio Department of Health has received a complaint that your facility has been performing or continues to offer to perform surgical abortions, which necessarily involve the use of PPE,” he wrote. “On behalf of the Department, you and your facility are ordered to immediately stop performing non-essential and elective surgical abortions. Non-essential surgical abortions are those that can be delayed without undue risk to the current or future health of a patient.”
Surgical abortions are only one facet of the health services that Planned Parenthood provides. As per their mission statement, “Planned Parenthood delivers vital reproductive health care, sex education, and information to millions of women, men, and young people worldwide.”
The attorney general’s letter said, “If you or your facility do not immediately stop performing non-essential or elective surgical abortions in compliance with the…order, the Department of Health will take all appropriate measures.”
Planned Parenthood responded in a statement from Iris E. Harvey and Kersha Deibel, the presidents and CEOs of Planned Parenthood of Greater Ohio and Planned Parenthood Southwest Ohio, that health care is an essential function of the facility and that abortions are an essential and time-sensitive facet of that. They also noted they are complying with the order regarding PPE usage.
“Planned Parenthood’s top priority is ensuring that every person can continue accessing essential health care, including abortion. We know your health care can’t wait. Abortion is an essential, time-sensitive medical procedure, as medical experts like the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the American Board of Obstetrics & Gynecology have recognized,” the statement reads. “We are complying with the Ohio Department of Health’s order regarding personal protective equipment, which requires hospitals and surgical facilities to stop providing non-essential surgeries and procedures and take other steps to reduce the use of equipment in short supply.”
“Our health centers continue to offer other health care services that our patients depend on. Our doors remain open for this care,” they say, adding that they are “doing our part to conserve needed resources and to protect the health and safety of our patients and staff.”
PPSWO’s attorney also responded to the attorney general’s letter saying they are complying with Director Acton’s order.
This article appears in Mar 18-24, 2020.
De Wine is today’s hero, who’s handling this crisis a lot better than Dolt 45, but underneath it all, he’s still a homophobic, Bible thumping, sexist, woman-hating social conservative. So he’s still a dick, and even if he walks on the Ohio River or Lake Erie, I will never vote for that POS.
Time stamps don’t lie. Lone Wingnut at work. Block this mofo now!
Itd be nice if dewine was a bible thumping, sexist, conservative but he’s shown his true colors as a communist rat bringing in the globalist state just like gavin Newsom and Cuomo.
Kiss my ass, Lone Wingnut. I will not only outlast you HERE, but I will see you blocked from this site, buried, and rotting in hell.
In it to win it,
What are you winning? Your beloved magazine is closing because they catered to YOU. It sounds like you think that blocking comments is the same as death.
It’s been a while since you posted on your real account Grizz66. Going to see me on the streets? You can’t even leave your house.
Real acccount? What real account? Who has a real account? You mean a username? I don’t need no steenkeeng username to kick your sorry ass here, every goddam day. You must mean some other real account, pal.
This mess has just postponed the inevitable. When the real shit finally hits the real fan, and the lion is in the streets, you will be found and you will be made to pay.
People like you are what has caused all this disruption and death and house arrest, because of the incompetent madman you voted in. It’s time to clean up the toxic waste in this country for good, and the trench brooms will sweep you and your ilk into the trash where you belong. Adios, amigo.
Wonder how many posts this whiny wingnut has had deleted in the past few weeks? Not nearly enough. He vomits, the nanny cleans it up. Day in, day out. So it goes.