Police today shut down a late-term abortion clinic in Orlando, Florida and seized and removed property from the building as a helpless abortion practitioner could only stand by and watch.
James Scott Prendergraft, whose medical license has been suspended a fifth time, stood in the background (right) as police and other officials taped off his abortion clinic with crime tape and locked him out of the building.
Operation Rescue, a pro-life group that has closely monitored Pendergraft, provided LifeNews with more details on the closure of the Orlando Women’s Center abortion clinic:
We have also confirmed that the abortion clinic, the Flagship office of James Scott Pendergraft IV’s five office abortion chain, has been closed.
Michelle Herzog of Pro-life Action Ministries told Operation Rescue she witnessed authorities removing one of the abortion tables and other abortion equipment and loading it into a large moving truck.
Pendergraft was hit with a massive In 2011, Pendergraft was hit with a whopping civil medical malpractice judgment of $36,737,660.16 in compensatory and punitive damages in a case involving a botched 20 week abortion that resulted in the live birth of a child physically damaged by Pendergraft’s incompetent abortion process amid what was described as “third world conditions” with virtually no counseling. He has refused to pay the judgment.
It is thought, but not yet confirmed, that the seizure may be related to that judgment.
A clinic receptionist is telling callers the Orlando Women’s Center is “closed for maintenance” and are unsure whether the clinic will reopen at this time.
In April, the Florida Board of Medicine took action to suspend the medical license of late-term abortionist Pendergraft after he failed to pay the Board fines from a previous disciplinary action that totaled over $120,000.
The settlement agreement reached between the Board and Pendergraft orders that his medical license “shall be indefinitely suspended until such time as [Pendergraft] complies” with the order to pay his fines.
This is the fifth time that Pendergraft’s medical license has been suspended by the Florida Board of Medicine. He continues to operate five abortion clinics in Florida, primarily in the Orlando area.
The fines resulted from a 2010 case where Pendergraft was heavily fined and placed on suspension related to a 2006 botched elective 19-week abortion.
Patient S.B went to Pendergraft for the second trimester abortion on Feb. 3, 2006. He prescribed doses of Cytotec, a d
rug that is known to cause severe and unpredictable uterine contractions and sent her home for three days to take the medication on her own. Pendergraft did not have a valid DEA number at the time.
When S.B. returned to the clinic, he further illegally administered doses of Cytotec, Demerol, and Phenergan. He attempted the abortion before the patient was adequately dilated, lacerating her cervix and sending her to the hospital where she underwent an emergency hysterectomy.
At the hospital, staff delivered the remains of S.B.’s baby and found that it was missing a lower limb. Efforts were made to locate the limb in the abdominal cavity to no avail. There were no indications on the patient’s chart. Later, it was discovered that the limb had been removed at the clinic. This lack of documentation caused issues in providing the patient with proper emergency care.
Pendergraft was suspended and ordered to pay fines in excess of $122,000. Pendergraft failed to pay, resulting in another disciplinary case attempting to seek payment. Finally, Friday’s action suspended his license until further notice.
