Operation Rescue reported on August 8th that Judge Joseph L.
Boohaker issued a permanent injunction today barring abortionist Bruce Norman
from operating an abortion clinic at the location of the former New Woman All
Women abortion facility in Birmingham, Alabama. Judge Hoohaker also enjoined
clinic owner Diane Derzis from referring abortion patients to the Birmingham
office. The injunction should close the illegal abortion business permanently.
The decision was the result of a law suit filed by the
Alabama Department of Public Health alleging that Derzis and Norman were
operating an illegal abortion clinic without proper licensing on the site of an
abortion clinic that had been closed due to the hospitalization of 3 abortion
patients in one day and the subsequent discovery of 76-pages of health code
deficiencies that presented a danger to the public.
Today’s ruling represents a victory for pro-life groups,
including Life Legal Defense, which filed an amicus curiae brief on behalf of
CEC for Life and Operation Rescue in support of the ADPH suit. The groups
worked together to expose abortion abuses at the clinic and filed complaints
that resulted in the original closure of New Woman All Women last year.
“We are excited with the ruling and pleased with the fact
that Derzis and Norman were finally caught red-handed operating outside the
law. This will be the second time in less than a year that we have worked
along-side local pro-life activists to close this dangerous abortion
operation,” said Troy Newman, President of Operation Rescue. “We are thankful
that women will now be protected by the permanent injunction on Derzis and
Norman. We hope this will be the end of their schemes to evade the laws.”
Judge Boohaker noted in his 22-page ruling that he
considered that Norman’s testimony about the number of abortions done at the
Birmingham office was contradictory and was actually more than the 30 abortions
per month limit for unlicensed facilities. The judge also took issue with
Derzis’ abortion business referring abortion clients to Norman at the
Birmingham office, noting that the referrals held the office out to be an
abortion clinic.
This decision comes one day after Norman was involved in an
abortion emergency at Derzis’ Jackson Women’s Health Organization,
Mississippi’s last remaining abortion clinic.
“Norman essentially shipped his injured patient off to the
ER where someone else was forced to clean up his mess,” said Newman. “We pray
that the judge that is blocking Mississippi’s hospital privilege requirement
will follow Alabama’s lead and protect the public from Derzis and Norman’s
shoddy and dangerous abortion practices.”
