For Immediate Release
March 27th, 2020
Alison Howard Centofante
Director of External Affairs, Live Action
alisoncentofante@liveaction.org
609-517-7235
Live Action Finds Louisiana Abortion Facility Defying Statewide Ban on Abortion
Washington, D.C. – Today, Live Action, a national leading pro-life non-profit organization, released footage exposing that Hope Medical Group, an abortion facility in Shreveport, Louisiana and the plaintiff in the current Supreme Court case June Medical Services v. Russo, is committing abortions in defiance of a statewide ban.
Hope Medical Group’s ongoing operations are a violation of a Louisiana Department of Health order that non-essential and elective surgical procedures must cease during the COVID-19 crisis. The order was made to preserve Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) that is desperately needed by healthcare workers on the frontlines of the battle against COVID-19. Additional goals of the order are to better utilize hospital staff, equipment, and bed capacity to save lives as the number of cases of COVID-19 continues to rise.
In two recorded phone calls on March 26, 2020, Hope Medical Group employees told Live Action investigators that they are open and operating saying: “Currently we are the only facility that I know anywhere nearby that’s open and operating, and we’ll stay open and operating as long as possible.”
Hope Medical Group made it clear over the phone that they are scheduling abortions:
0:20 CALLER: Hi, um, are you guys still scheduling abortions?
0:25 HOPE MEDICAL: We are! Unfortunately, our first session we don’t have an available appointment just because we are so busy until April 6th.
Hope Medical Group also confirmed that, in addition to seeing women from Louisiana, they are seeing women from Texas, which has issued a statewide halt to abortion:
1:04 HOPE MEDICAL: That’s correct ‘cause um…we are booked solid because we are serving all of Louisiana as well as Texas at this, at this point due to shut downs from government offices.
And Hope Medical Group has no plans to stop carrying out abortions at this time:
4:08 HOPE MEDICAL: Yes. Currently, um, we are the only facility that I know anywhere nearby is open and operating. [4:15 CALLER: Oh, okay.] And we will stay open and operating [4:19 CALLER: Okay.] as long as possible.
Live Action Founder and President, Lila Rose, stated:
In Louisiana, the abortion industry proves once again that it will seek profit no matter what. While the rest of the world is focused on rescuing the vulnerable from COVID-19, Hope Medical Group is scheduling abortions that will kill children, harm women, and use up precious medical resources like masks, gloves, and gowns.
“As Louisiana Senator Katrina Jackson noted on Thursday, Louisiana’s legitimate medical providers, like dentists, are donating these valuable resources to the hospitals fighting COVID-19 in Louisiana. But Hope Medical Group is focused on nothing but profiting from abortion. We call on Governor John Bel Edwards and Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry to immediately shut down Hope Medical Group and penalize it for defying the state and endangering the community.
Listen to Live Action’s investigative calls here and follow Live Action on Twitter for updates. The full transcript can be read below.
Live Action is a national nonprofit organization dedicated to exposing the truth about abortion and affirming the life of every child. Live Action exists to change hearts and minds about abortion through compelling educational media, human interest stories, and investigative reporting that exposes the lies and corruption in the abortion industry. With the largest online following in the pro-life movement, Live Action’s videos and content reach millions of people every week. Find out more at http://www.liveaction.org
###
FULL TRANSCRIPT
June Medical Services LLC (Hope Medical Group for Women)
March 26, 2020 12:28 pm CT
0:16 HOPE MEDICAL: Hope Medical, please hold.
0:18 CALLER: Okay.
1:32 HOPE MEDICAL: Thanks for holding, how can I help?
1:34 CALLER: Hey, yeah, I’m trying to figure out how I can go about getting an abortion taken care of.
1:41 HOPE MEDICAL: Uh-kay. Here in Louisiana, you have to have a consultation visit at least 24 hours before we can do[ a procedure. 1:48 CALLER: Okay.] Our consultation is 50 dollars. Can be cash, card, or money order. Um…uhhh, scheduling is modified right now to accommodate social distancing.
2:02 CALLER: Ohh, okay.
2:03 HOPE MEDICAL: We have consultation visits on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. The soonest you can get in would be Monday the 6th, or Wednesday, or Friday following that day. And theeen, the procedures are Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday.
2:19 CALLER: Okay.
2:19 HOPE MEDICAL: The first step would be to schedule your consultation visit with me. Aaaand, you would schedule the second visit when you come for the first visit.
2:29 CALLER: Okay, hold on, so, I- okay, so I have to schedule a consultation visit – and when can I come in?
2:38 HOPE MEDICAL: Monday the 6th is the earliest I have.
2:38 CALLER: Sorry, I’m just trying to figure out child care.
2:41 HOPE MEDICAL: Yeah, no problem.
2:41 CALLER: Sorry, what’d you say?
2:43 HOPE MEDICAL: Monday, April 6th.
2:46 CALLER: Monday, April 6th. Okay. So if I can get child care on that day and come in on Monday, April 6th. And then, when can I – when can I get my procedure done though? Cause I’m trying to kind of figure this out as soon as I can.
3:05 HOPE MEDICAL: Unfortunately, it’s not guaranteed when the second visit will be, um… We just don’t know for sure. [3:13 CALLER: Okay.] I do know it’ll be a Tuesday, Thursday, or Saturday, but I can’t give you, like, a guarantee.
3:18 CALLER: A guaranteed day, yet? Okay. Alright, um [*sigh*]. Okay let me see if I can go ahead and find child care so I can do that consultation visit. Um, how long do I have, like, can I call you right back to see if I can get child care?
3:36 HOPE MEDICAL: Yeah, no problem. We’re, we’ve got a good bit of appointments for that day available.
3:41 CALLER: Okay, great. So, right now.
3:44 HOPE MEDICAL: I’m sorry?
3:45 CALLER: No, that’s fine. You guys are like the second place I called so I’m really glad you picked up. Okay, um, but you guys, you guys are doing it though, yeah?
3:56 HOPE MEDICAL: Ma’am, I’m sorry, I couldn’t hear you.
3:58 CALLER: I’m sorry, you guys are, [4:00 HOPE MEDICAL: You’re good.] you guys are doing it, though, you guys are the second place that I called so I’m just trying to find a place that I can get this taken care of.
4:08 HOPE MEDICAL: Yes. Currently, um, we are the only facility that I know anywhere nearby is open and operating. [4:15 CALLER: Oh, okay.] And we will stay open and operating [4:19 CALLER: Okay.] as long as possible. [4:20 CALLER: Okay.] Um, if we schedule with you and anything changes outside of our control we’ll definitely let you know.
4:26 CALLER: Okay. Alright, wonderful. What I’m gonna do is, I’m gonna see if I can figure out child care with my mom right now and then I’ll call you right back.
4:34 HOPE MEDICAL: Sounds great.
4:35 CALLER: Alright, thank you so much I really appreciate it.
4:38 HOPE MEDICAL: Not a problem.
4:40 CALLER: Alright, buh-bye.
4:34 End Call/Transcript
June Medical Services LLC (Hope Medical Group for Women)
March 26, 2020 2:37 pm CT
0:18 HOPE MEDICAL: Hope Medical Group Service, this is Hailey, how can I help you?
0:20 CALLER: Hi, um, are you guys still scheduling abortions?
0:25 HOPE MEDICAL: We are! Unfortunately, our first session we don’t have an available appointment just because we are so busy until April 6th.
0:33 CALLER: Oh, wow, ok, um…so, like, I think i’m like somewhere around 8 weeks pregnant, like…um…do you do ones, like, then?
0:45 HOPE MEDICAL: I’m sorry?
0:45 CALLER: I said, I think I’m around like 8 weeks pregnant. Do you do abortions [0:49 HOPE MEDICAL: M-hm.] then? Um…
0:52 HOPE MEDICAL: We do abortions anywhere from 3 weeks to 16 weeks and 6 days is our cut-off.
0:58 CALLER: Okay, ok, but you, you couldn’t, like, get me in, like, sooner than the 6th?
1:04 HOPE MEDICAL: That’s correct ‘cause um…we are booked solid because we are serving all of Louisiana as well as Texas at this, at this point due to shut downs from government offices.
1:18 CALLER: Okay, and that was actually, like, my question, is, I-I can’t make sense of all the, like, shut-down stuff in Lousiana, like, am I allowed, like, could I – do you do like appointments before an abortion, or, do you just come in and do everything all at once, or like, what do you – what do you do?
1:34 HOPE MEDICAL: Um, uh, the state of Louisiana requires two appointments. So, the first one is an ultrasound to determine exactly how far along you are. You’ll meet with a counselor who will go over all the necessary paperwork as well as meet with the physician and go over the procedure as well. Uh, that is a 24-hour mark. 24 hours after you meet with the physician, you can schedule for your, uh, procedure itself.
2:00 CALLER: Okay.
2:01 HOPE MEDICAL: So, sometimes, we can do back-to-back appointments, uh, like a Monday, Tuesday, but we can’t guarantee that.
2:07 CALLER: Oh, okay. And – okay, so I’d have to even wait for April 6th for that one to, like, find out, what I need [2:15 HOPE MEDICAL: Correct] to do. Okay. Okay, well, um…ok I guess let me figure out some things and I’ll-I’ll have to, I’ll just call you back since it’s a wait time anyway, but thank you.
2:26 HOPE MEDICAL: You’re very welcome. And if you have any other questions don’t hesitate to call us. You can also reference our website, hopemedical.com, for more information. Because you are calling to inquire about an abortion I am legally obligated to give you the number for the DHH. I’m sorry, the website for them is [inaudible].
2:45 CALLER: Okay, thank you, I appreciate it.
2:47 HOPE MEDICAL: You’re welcome. Bye-bye
2:48: CALLER: Okay, bye.
2:50: End Call/Transcript
Comments are closed.