The BP Oil Spill versus the Women’s Medical Society

Where are the “civil rights” people on the Gosnell issue. Why is Ponce, who claims to care so much more than us evil conservatives about the poor.

So, there were these poor minority women who were killed. There were other poor minority women who were made sterile. Other poor minority women were given venereal diseases from reused disposable gear that wasn’t even cleaned between patients.

So, after all that hits the papers, where is Reverend Jesse? Where is Reverend Al? Where is the NAA(L)CP? Yoo Hoo, Civil rights types! Over here, poor minority women are being harmed. For PROFIT!!!!!!111!!! And not a word.

And Ponce talks about the oil not going anywhere. Idiot.

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Isn’t that good enough for you?

No. Why wasn’t his clinic inspected, as any invasive out-patient clinic should be? would you be happy if the conditions in this so-called clinic could be found in your local hospital, or doctor’s office?

Hell, the restaurant down the street from you is health inspected several times a year.

So, it stands to reason that the relevant state regulatory bodies are also complicit with Gosnell’s crimes, as they did nothing to put a stop to it even though they have the power and authority to shut him down.

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“Ponce, the point is that the people who wet themselves whenever a minority member is even alleged to be harmed by a Republican policy have been as mute as clams over this.”

So you’d be happy if, in addition to 8 murder charges, Gosnell was charged with breaking some kind of civil rights law?

“No. Why wasn’t his clinic inspected, as any invasive out-patient clinic should be? ”

Why wasn’t Bernie Madoff investigated sooner?

Were the Republicans in the SEC anti-Semitic?

This is one of the lamest Outrages of the Day! the fringe Right has cooked up in quite a while.

This is stooping to “Obama is shutting down Republican car dealerships!!11!!1!” level of lameness.

Bipartisan cooperation is hell for the haters?

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“It seems that the it (ponce) still does not get it. ”

I understand the wingnuts are hurting for fodder to stir up their slack-jawed base, K.

I understand Gosnell has been charged with 8 count of murder but that y’all want something (that you can’t quite articulate) more done to him.

I understand you want to constantly bitch and moan about how screwed up the government is but when it actually screws up you start shrieking about some idiotic conspiracy theory.

In other words, it’s a slow Monday in wingnutville and Glenn Beck hasn’t told you what to think about Egypt yet…

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Well, let’s remember that some of the pro-choice folks were trying to get some action from the PA Dept. of Health, and a doctor did hand-deliver a complaint to the PA Dept. of State (which regulates doctors). But none of those people went to the press–of course, none of them knew about the murders, either.
But by the standards set last summer, the abortion industry should be sharply curtailed until we can be certain that this won’t ever happen again.

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No, the phrase “But because he was on the *correct* side of the issue, he was allowed to slide” does not have to be made any more true, because it IS true.

A pro-abortion, Democrat controlled state (and city) government, decided NOT to perform their regulatory duties.

End of Story.

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Well, we can at least pray that the clarification and enforcement of safety standards for the abortion industry are deemed as important as those for the off-shore drilling business.

A man is alleged to have delivered innumerable babies by means of drug-induced labor, and upon their births taken them up, not to initiate their breathing, but to slit their throats or cut through their spinal cords with scissors.

This same man is accused of causing illnesses, permanent injuries, and deaths, to women who were among his patients, by every form of malpractice from neglecting the most basic hygiene standards, to leaving unqualified employees to perform invasive procedures, to using grotesque experimental techniques, to forcibly restraining and drugging patients who expressed a change of intent.

Even if we leave the allegedly murdered newborns out of this, it should be a relief to anyone who cares about the health and well-being of any girl or woman who might seek gynecological care, that a “doctor” who has abused the trust of his patients and the public, and who has exploited their expectations that this licensed, permitted, and long-established medical provider met all the standards for safety established by the industry and its regulators, has been removed from the position in which he could have done more harm.

It will be a great relief if he is justly convicted of the violations that resulted in the injuries, illnesses, and deaths, of his most grievously mistreated patients.

But there is much to suggest that this man’s negligent methods were known, not only to other doctors in his community, but also to the government agencies to which complaints and concerns had been addressed over a period of years, but who took no action.

So it should be of tremendous interest to anyone who cares about the health and well-being of any girl or woman who might seek gynecological care, that those regulators, who are trusted to ensure that safe standards of medical practice are being met by all of the physicians in their jurisdiction, are, in fact, performing their duties.

It appears, in the case of Gosnell’s clinic, in the city of Philadelphia, in the state of Pennsylvania, that this is not the case, and that it has not been the case for many years.

There has been no indication (correct me, please, if I have missed something to suggest otherwise) that for some reason Gosnell’s clinic was treated to many years of special favor in the pattern of negligence on the part of the various inspectors, or examiners, or patient advocates, or licensee liaisons by whatever job title they may hold. So it should be a matter of investigation as to whether “Dr.” Gosnell is unique in this, or whether there are similar abuses and exploitations being committed by other abortion providers that are being similarly ignored.

Is this neglect on the part of the city and state confined to practices that provide abortion? Has the local government decided that women seeking abortions are not worthy of protection from significant, profound, and potentially tragic, medical errors and indifference?

Are we seeing a lack of interest in the well-being of disadvantaged residents in the shrugging-off or refusing to investigate matters of concern that arise regarding medical care in the poorer parts of town — just as “Dr.” Gosnell is claimed to have treated his poorer patients with a lack of regard that contrasted to the greater efforts made to create the impression of appropriate medical care for his more affluent-seeming patients?

I would expect anyone who has made it his official business to ensure that the poor and the disadvantaged are given the same protections as their more fortunate neighbors to voice his concern about this matter.

And I would expect anyone who claims any interest in women’s issues or the protection of minors to see the value in putting the brakes on abortion services until the public can be assured that Gosnellian abuses will not be allowed to take place anywhere else.

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Hi, Ponce,

The very same hypocrites who are trying to strip the 40 million poorest Americans of health care insurance?

I’m not sure where I lost you. How did you get that from what I said?

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“I consider Gosnell’s chamber of horrors a reminder of what the Republicans want all American women to face when trying to get an abortion, cathy.”

I don’t believe that any reasonable person wants anyone to face that kind of experience. (That “chamber of horrors” characterization is perfect, BTW.) Whether or not there exist reasonable Republicans, it’s a horrible sort of irony that the nightmare of Gosnell’s practice is really the result, not of attempts to limit or eliminate abortion services in Philadelphia, but of a too-excessive allowance of them.

You sound as though you believe strongly that abortion should remain available to American women, but I still can’t discern from that whether or not you think it would be worth the temporary disruption to abortion providers that an overall audit of practices and procedures would create, in order to ensure that women and girls are safe from the sorts of abuses suffered by so many who sought Gosnell’s services.

The more I think about it, the more it seems anyone who wants to see access to abortion preserved should be all the more in favor of preventing this kind of travesty of medical care from ever occurring, as it has the potential of giving opponents of abortion significant leverage. And it gives little credibility to abortion-rights organizations when they turn a blind eye to abuses they see, rather than acting in a manner that would prove their claims of having women’s well-being a priority.

Ah, well, my musings rarely have a significant impact on the realities of this world. Some increased efforts on the part of the Pennsylvania Board of Health are almost certain, and we can only hope that if there are other abortion providers guilty of mistreating their patients, they will be discovered and prevented from hurting anyone else.

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