Ohio again revokes license of Haskell-owned Dayton abortion facility

Women’s Med Center of Dayton, Ohio, an abortion facility run by Dr. Martin Haskell, has had its license revoked by the State of Ohio due to failure to obtain a transfer agreement with a nearby hospital — a patient safety requirement that NARAL Pro-Choice Ohio’s deputy director characterized as “politics.”

According to the Associated Press via the Dayton Daily News, Ohio “requires ambulatory surgical facilities to have emergency backup agreements with nearby hospitals or to obtain a variance from that requirement”:

Women’s Med Center of Dayton has 15 days to appeal the order, which was signed Wednesday by Rick Hodges, the director of the Department of Health. The clinic said it will do so.

Hodges said the license is being revoked because the facility failed to name an adequate number of physicians to provide the backup care necessary to qualify for an exception to the hospital rule. His order fell in line with the recommendations of an independent hearing officer.

The Women’s Med Center in Dayton nearly closed for good in 2015 due to its violation of the same transfer agreement provision.

Pro-life group Created Equal said in an email today that abortionist Martin Haskell had been “evading this state requirement through a variance or waiver” but that his variance was eventually denied “because he was struggling to acquire enough doctors to sign on to support him.”

According to Live Action News’ Sarah Terzo, Haskell “has sent a number of women to the hospital with serious complications,  had pioneered the dilation and extraction abortion, also known as partial birth abortion.” In 2014, Haskell was forced to close his Sharonville, Ohio, abortion facility for the same reason the Women’s Med Center’s license was revoked. He chose not to appeal that closing.