Sharonville Mayor, Board of Health petitions the Ohio Health Department to revoke special privileges in light of violations

Contact: Troy Newman, President, 316-841-1700; Cheryl Sullenger, Senior Policy Advisor, 316-516-3034; both with Operation Rescue, info@operationrescue.org

SHARONVILLE, Ohio, June 2, 2011 /Standard Newswire/ -- City officials in Sharonville, Ohio, are asking the Ohio Department of Health (ODH) to reconsider a "variance" issued to late-term abortionist Martin Haskell that allows him to operate his Women's Med Center abortion clinic in their town without having to comply with laws that require physicians at such facilities to maintain valid Ambulatory Transfer agreements or have admitting privileges at local qualified hospitals.

This is the second variance that Haskell has received from the ODH. Haskell's Dayton abortion clinic is also excused from having to comply with the transfer agreement requirement. 

"It is the belief of the Sharonville Board of Health that this waiver/variance was improperly granted and compromises the health, safety and welfare of the general public," wrote the President of the Sharonville Board of Health Virgil G. Lovitt, II, in a letter to the Ohio Department of Health dated May 19, 2011. Lovitt also serves as the Mayor of Sharonville, a suburb of Cincinnati. The 18-point letter included 53 pages of documentation to support the Sharonville Board of Health's findings.

"Both of Haskell's Ohio abortion clinics have now been given permission to operate outside the law," said Operation Rescue President Troy Newman.  "The documentation submitted by Mayor Lovitt paints a dramatic picture of an abortion business that is attempting to evade compliance, buy favors, and confuse the public in such a way that it endangers women."

Lovitt expresses concerns that the variance was hastily granted while Haskell's new abortion facility was in non-compliance with state and federal laws just two weeks before an election that replaced pro-abortion Gov. Ted Strickland with pro-life Gov. John Kasich.

A timeline leading to the granting of the variance raises questions about campaign contributions from Haskell totaling $3,750 to the Strickland re-election campaign. 

An October 7, 2010, inspection of Haskell's Sharonville office indicated deficiencies in 18 categories. The day after the inspection, Haskell made a $2,500 contribution to then-Gov. Strickland's re-election campaign. Two weeks later, the variance was issued without having any evidence that the 18 discovered deficiencies had been corrected or even addressed.

In addition, an investigation discovered that Haskell's clinic operated illegally for two months without the proper licensing from the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency, which currently classifies the abortion clinic as "a large generator of Bio-Waste." 

The Sharonville Health Department has asked the Ohio Department of Health to reopen and reconsider the variance.

Operation Rescue is asking the public contact the Ohio Department of Health and ask them to rescind the variance and uphold the law as written.

Complete report with links to all documentation.

About Operation Rescue®
Operation Rescue is one of the leading pro-life Christian activist organizations in the nation and has become a strong voice for the pro-life movement in America. Operation Rescue is now headquartered in a former abortion clinic that it bought and closed in 2006.  From there, Operation Rescue launches its innovative new strategies across the nation, exposing and closing abortion clinics through peaceful, legal means. Its activities are on the cutting edge of the abortion issue, taking direct action to stop abortion and ultimately restore legal personhood to the pre-born in obedience to biblical mandates.