Policymakers are considering legislation to tighten regulations on abortion clinics following recent problems at a Planned Parenthood clinic in Wilmington, Del.
The Delaware State Senate was to vote Thursday on a bill allowing abortion clinic employees, not just patients, to file complaints that could prompt investigations by the Department of Health and Social Services.
The legislation also requires abortion clinics to be accredited by a state-approved independent accrediting organization with no conflict of interest. Planned Parenthood accredits its own clinics.
The Planned Parenthood clinic in Wilmington was cited by public health officials recently for several unsafe and unsanitary practices, and state medical licensing officials filed a formal complaint last month against a doctor who performed abortions there, saying he represented a “clear and immediate danger to the public.”
The complaint by the state Board of Medical Licensure and Discipline accuses Dr. Timothy F. Liveright of engaging in multiple acts of incompetence and negligence in performing abortions on five patients in February and March of this year.
