Planned Parenthood’s Columbia Health Center in Columbia, South Carolina, has a history of documented ambulance calls in response to patient health emergencies, including three in 2021 alone. On Tuesday, March 5, yet another ambulance appeared outside the facility, according to local sidewalk advocate Mark Baumgartner, who serves as the executive director of the pro-life ministry A Moment of Hope.
This particular Planned Parenthood facility has a dubious track record. In 2015, it was fined for improper disposal of fetal remains, among other violations. The same year, it was cited for 21 violations of various regulations after a routine inspection by the state’s Department of Health and Environmental Control and was warned that it would be shut down if immediate corrective actions were not taken.
Nevertheless, the same facility was again cited for violations following its 2020 inspection, on which it received an overall score of 0.0%.
According to Baumgartner, who acts as a sidewalk advocate at this facility on each of the twice-weekly days on which abortions are committed, the latest ambulance incident illustrates not only the health risks faced by the facility’s customers, but also the challenging, hostile environment in which sidewalk advocates are attempting to save lives.
“The escorts are very aggressive and effective at breaking up any conversations we are having with moms arriving,” Baumgartner told Live Action News. “Even as we are walking them on[to] our ultrasound RV they frequently scare them from going on and then lead them in[side] P[lanned] P[arenthood] for the abortion.”
A video of the latest ambulance arrival, which was shot by Baumgartner, clearly proves his point. Signs posted by Planned Parenthood near the facility’s entrance read: “LIME GREEN VESTS Are Protesters! DO NOT STOP!” and “Don’t stop. Keep driving”; the latter message is written in both English and Spanish.
Escort holds sign outside of South Carolina Planned Parenthood facility.
What’s more, the video clearly shows one of the “clinic escorts” attempting to block Baumgartner’s view of the ambulance while shouting “Hush, Mark,” making offensive remarks, and advising another staff member to “have them [the ambulance] go around back.” A second video, taken from another perspective, shows an escort directing the ambulance toward the back of the building. This is a tactic which is frequently used by abortion facilities, including this particular one, in order to minimize public exposure of these troubling incidents.
According to Baumgartner, the escort in the video above is Lisa Gavaletz, a faculty member in the department of theater and dance at the University of South Carolina. Gavaletz has used her platform as an educator to advocate against South Carolina legislation designed to ensure that school sports teams are segregated by biological sex, among other similar issues.
A January 2024 police report provided by Baumgartner confirms Gavaletz’s identity as one of the Planned Parenthood escorts:
Screenshot of police report
In another video provided by Baumgartner and posted 10 months ago, Gavaletz is shown spewing curse words at sidewalk advocates after repeatedly stumbling on a curb, even though the advocates had nothing to do with her missteps.
WARNING: Profanity.
Baumgartner told Live Action News that he feels Gavaletz is the most aggressive escort at this facility, and claims she “lies to clients to get our gift bags away from them” in addition to interfering with pro-life outreach efforts in a variety of other ways.
Baumgartner also identified another of the facility’s escorts as Richland County Council member Allison Terracio. Her LinkedIn page boasts of her nearly five-year tenure with Planned Parenthood South Atlantic, which she lists above her membership on the Richland County Council:
Screenshot from Allison Terracio’s LinkedIn profile
This video, taken by Baumgartner outside of the Columbia Planned Parenthood facility and posted approximately two years ago, shows what appears to be Terracio taunting pro-lifers by engaging in an impromptu dance which is arguably inappropriate for a civic leader, particularly given that she was effectively mocking her own constituents.
Interestingly, pro-abortion leaders have openly stated that part of their strategy to advance abortion includes “elect[ing] champions for choice to the 500,000 elected seats in our government in this country,” including “[e]verything from school boards to town councils to state legislatures.” It would seem that Terracio is evidence of this agenda in action.
Numerous additional videos taken by sidewalk advocates outside of the Columbia Planned Parenthood facility can be found on A Moment of Hope’s YouTube page. Recordings and transcripts of 911 calls made by the facility can also be found there.
