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Florida Closes Clinics and Suspends License of Notorious Abortionist

By Peter J. Smith

ORLANDO, Florida, August 17, 2006 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The State of Florida has suspended the license of a notorious Florida abortionist for performing illegal late term abortions and ordered two abortion clinics shut down Wednesday.

On Wednesday, Florida’s health secretary ordered the suspension of abortionist James Pendergraft after state investigators discovered that Pendergraft performed an abortion on a woman 28 weeks pregnant in July 2005, and gave her controlled substances without a proper license.

The state investigation also found that two of Pendergraft’s Orlando abortion clinics were also performing illegal third trimester abortions, and spurred the health secretary to issue an emergency order suspending Pendergraft’s license stating that he showed "a flagrant disregard for the laws of the state of Florida and a willingness to endanger the lives and health of pregnant patients."

Florida state law forbids the abortionists from performing third trimester abortions outside of hospitals.

The state’s order closes the Orlando Women’s Center and the EPOC Clinic, although three other abortion clinics owned by Pendergraft shall remain open. The state’s emergency suspension order prevents Pendergraft from practicing in Florida until the state Board of Medicine takes final action. Pendergraft is appealing the rulings.

Pendergraft has gained a history of notoriety in Florida, ever since he first was jailed for 7 months in 2001 on charges of conspiring to extort millions of dollars from Marion County. In 2005, Pendergraft’s abortion clinic employees refused to heed the pleading of a young mother to call 9-1-1, who wanted help to save her born-alive child, who survived an abortion. Instead, still attached to the umbilical cord, the child died in the arms of his distraught young mother, who rocked and cooed him for the duration of his 11 minutes of life amid the squalor of the clinic’s restroom.

The Florida Board of Medicine considered revoking Pendergraft’s license for the treatment of the mother, Angele, and the sanitation violations of the clinic; however members voted to dismiss the case in April.

See Previous LifeSite coverage:

Notorious Abortionist Will Not Face Discipline By Florida Board of Medicine
His Abortion Clinic Workers Refused To Help Mother Screaming to Save Live Child
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2006/apr/06041001.html

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