By Dave Andrusko
Abortionist Ulrich Klopfer
Pro-Choice South Bend broke the news Friday that longtime Indiana itinerant abortion doctor, Ulrich Klopfer, will be permanently shutting the doors to his abortion clinic in South Bend, Indiana this coming Friday, March 18.
“Years of shoddy abortion practices have finally caught up with Dr. Klopfer,” said Cathie Humbarger, Indiana Right to Life’s Vice President of Policy Enforcement. “We extend our appreciation to the Pence administration and the ISDH for refusing to sweep Klopfer’s shady practices under the rug. It’s a good day for the health and safety of Hoosier women.”
Added Tom Gill, President of St. Joseph County Right to Life, “We commend all of those individuals, organizations and institutions that have worked side-by-side to bring about this positive, life-affirming and health-endorsing outcome for our community.”
Klopfer had come “to an agreement with the Indiana State Department of Health to close the Women’s Pavilion in November [2015], after the state agency filed a motion to revoke the clinic’s license in January 2015,” according to Amanda Gray of the South Bend Tribune. “Though Klopfer or anyone on the clinic’s staff could have refiled for the license after 90 days, no applications were filed in 2016 for that clinic or any additional one in the state of Indiana, according to Amanda Turney, attorney for the ISDH [Indiana State Department of Health].”
Klopfer’s decision not to appeal came on the heels of two complaints by the ISDH to revoke his South Bend facility operating license.
However, even though the South Bend clinic was no longer providing abortion services as of last November, Pro-Choice South Bend said, “[W]omen seeking the procedure could still come for referral services at the South Bend facility at 2010 Ironwood Circle,” according to Gray. “Group leadership [Pro-Choice South Bend] referred those seeking abortion services to Planned Parenthood in Merrillville, Ind., or Kalamazoo, or to Family Planning Associates in Chicago.”
For decades Klopfer, an Illinois resident, operated abortion facilities in Gary, Fort Wayne, and South Bend. Klopfer lost his Fort Wayne back-up physician with admitting privileges, required by an Allen County ordinance and state code, in December 2013. This rendered him unable to do abortions in Fort Wayne in 2014 and 2015.
Tomorrow, Klopfer is schedule to go before the Medical Licensing Board to face over 1,833 alleged violations filed against him by the Office of Indiana Attorney General Greg Zoeller. The Medical Licensing Board could strip Klopfer of his medical license or take other disciplinary action against him.
Some of the complaints filed against Klopfer include:
- Non-compliance of the informed consent law, which requires the abortionist to provide certain information to the patient at least 18 hours prior to the procedure
- Failure to report the abortions performed on at least two 13-year-old girls to the state health department within the required three-day time frame to ensure safety of the patient
- Violations of code regarding administration of anesthesia
- More than 2,400 incomplete, inaccurate and late terminated pregnancy reports