By DEXTER DUGGAN
PHOENIX — Amid Planned Parenthood’s challenges, from trying to hire a national president it won’t quickly fire like Leana Wen to opposing President Trump’s pro-life administration’s regulations, add this one:
Worrying that its own workers it thinks are obediently steadfast can instead be a whistle-blowing liability to its swaggering role as the largest provider of permissive abortion in the U.S. What goes on inside those walls may not stay inside.
Pro-lifers who have prayed outside abortion clinics can recount unfortunately memorable experiences. I recall one day here at an abortuary that competed against PP when one shaken young woman emerged staggering and in need of physical support because she no longer seemed able to walk on her own.
On another day at the same clinic, its flamboyant abortionist, who made no secret of his fondness for carrying a firearm, came outside and waved a banner about the size of a beach towel bearing the image of Elvis Presley for a few minutes at those praying.
The late entertainer’s picture flapping before our eyes apparently was a mocking ploy to neutralize our prayers.
That abortionist later was sentenced to prison for decades on charges that he sexually abused his patients.
“Trust women” became a pro-abortion slogan meaning their reliable judgment must prevail about choosing abortion. But what if their judgment has been misinformed and abortion turns out as a dangerous choice? And what if women themselves are warning that abortion promoters can’t be trusted?
Former PP clinic director Abby Johnson, who walked away from her Texas abortuary job in 2009, is perhaps the best-known national example of a trusted employee who renounced her erroneous ways. Dedicating herself to blazing a path for others to leave that industry too, she went on to found And Then There Were None (abortionworker.com).
Another former PP clinic director and longtime employee recently won a lawsuit in Maricopa County Superior Court here resulting in $3 million in damages against the abortion giant. The court victory by Mayra Rodriguez on August 16 led Johnson to remark on the similarity in their situation.
“When Mayra came to And Then There Were None with her incredible story, I felt solidarity with her, having gone through a similar situation when I worked for Planned Parenthood,” Johnson said in an August 19 news release. “Standing with her through the trial and rejoicing in the ultimate victory has been amazing.”
The news release added: “Abby’s and Mayra’s stories have striking similarities. They were both awarded Employee of the Year awards from Planned Parenthood the year before they left. They both were directors of clinics. And they both started working for Planned Parenthood for the same reasons: to help women.”
Tim Casey, Rodriguez’s attorney, told The Wanderer on August 21: “Mayra’s motivation was the safety of women. We proved that their medical director here was a danger to the safety of women,” and that abortions performed by PP’s Arizona medical director exposed pregnant women to “a risk.”
Casey said he hopes the result of this lawsuit “has the effect of improving health-care there. If they’re allowed under the law to do what they’re doing” by providing abortions, at least have them performed under a safer standard.
KPNX television, Channel 12, the Phoenix NBC affiliate, quoted Casey as saying that “everyone was pro-choice” on the jury. “A lot of people couldn’t sit on the jury, because they didn’t support Planned Parenthood,” but the verdict still was unanimous in favor of Rodriguez.
After reporting her concerns about this abortionist’s unacceptable quality of care to her superiors, as well as another doctor’s repeated abusive rudeness to staff, Rodriguez received a warning about her own performance then was fired in 2017 after PP said drugs were found in her desk, according to news reports.
Casey told The Wanderer that PP denied planting drugs in a ploy against Rodriguez, but, he said, the jury rejected PP’s claim by issuing its $3 million award.
“They not only fired her,” Casey said, “but . . . they wanted to discredit her, and the best way to do that” was to bring in the narcotics accusation.
KPNX television, citing one instance, reported on August 19 that a medical assistant believed that an abortion had been incomplete and, using an ultrasound machine, “confirmed an incomplete abortion by detecting the presence of remaining body parts in the patient,” according to the lawsuit.
Parts of the baby left in the uterus could pose a risk of serious infection.
LifeSiteNews.com reported on August 19 that Rodriguez had reported “an abortionist’s illegal conduct and high complication rates, falsification of affidavits and patient records, incomplete abortions, and failure to report statutory rape.”
Bryan Howard, president of Planned Parenthood Arizona, issued a statement neither acknowledging wrongdoing nor expressing contrition.
Asked about Howard’s approach, Casey replied, “I have not read his statement. But if that is your assessment, it would be consistent with their entire defense.”
In addition to contending it was appropriate to have fired Rodriguez, Howard said in part: “For 85 years — since 1934 — Planned Parenthood Arizona has provided health care and health information to hundreds of thousands of Arizonans according to stringent quality and safety standards. Our patients’ health and safety is our highest priority.
“Planned Parenthood Arizona is dedicated to continuously improving our processes to offer services at the highest standard to everyone who comes through our doors. We are grateful to Planned Parenthood Arizona’s health-care professionals across our state for striving to provide our patients high quality, welcoming, nonjudgmental care seven days a week,” Howard said.
The August 20 issue of The Arizona Republic, the state’s largest daily, had a long one-column-wide story beginning above the fold on Page One about the firing and $3 million in damages. However, the story neglected to explain what it meant when the abortion “procedure was not complete.”
The Republic story also referred to improper clinic use of an affidavit “stating the proper things were removed after the surgery was done.” The story avoided explaining that the “proper things” were aborted baby body parts.
Doing damage to babies’ bodies isn’t a winning theme in any year, as, for instance, a Republic story back in May 2003 noted. That story reported shocked reaction in the small eastern Arizona town of Safford to the surprising discovery of three babies’ bodies at a storage facility.
If that had shocked consciences, think of the public outrage if people generally realized that abortionists pull babies’ bodies apart every day at Planned Parenthood. Yeah, the Republic would prefer they don’t realize.
Another surprising aspect was that Rodriguez is an illegal immigrant. She said PP held that over her head during her employment.
The And Then There Were None news release quoted her: “Planned Parenthood publicly states they want to help and stand up for immigrants, that they care about these women, but it’s not true. They shamed me for my immigration status.”
A Cold-Hearted Attitude
Conservative Republican political consultant Constantin Querard told The Wanderer on August 20: “The jury found that she was wrongly terminated for blowing the whistle on the harm Planned Parenthood was doing to women, along with a great deal of illegal conduct. Which means that they also found that what she said was true.
“So Planned Parenthood lost more than $3 million in this verdict. They also were publicly exposed for falsifying records, botched abortions, and protecting those who were guilty of statutory rape,” Querard said.
John Jakubczyk, a Phoenix attorney and former president of Arizona Right to Life, told The Wanderer on August 20: “This verdict awarding the former employee $3 million due to wrongful termination once again reveals Planned Parenthood’s cold-hearted attitude toward women, be they patients or workers.
“When Mayra Rodriguez sought to expose shoddy practices, they fired her and destroyed records proving the abortionist’s malpractice. She was concerned about these women. Planned Parenthood was only interested in making money,” Jakubczyk said. “The jury saw through the lies and decided in favor of justice.
“How many more situations are out there where Planned Parenthood has exploited its workers? No one should work for an organization that kills babies and exploits women,” he said.
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