Delaware Planned Parenthood facility accused of Gosnell-like horrors

Two former workers from Planned Parenthood of Delaware say the Wilmington abortion center’s unsanitary and unsafe conditions put women at risk.

In an interview with a local ABC affiliate, Jayne Mitchell-Werbrich and Joyce Vasikonis described soiled operating tables not cleaned between patients and abortionists who refused to wear gloves. The women, who are registered nurses, said they quit their jobs to protect their medical licenses in the event a patient came to any harm.

“It was just unsafe,” Mitchell-Werbrich said. “I couldn’t tell you how ridiculously unsafe it was.”

Vasikonis said she feared women could be exposed to AIDS or Hepatitis because fluids were not cleaned from the rooms between patients. The Planned Parenthood facility, the women said, should be closed.

According to the television news report, abortion providers in Delaware do not undergo routine inspections because the Delaware Department of Health and Human Services does not have enough manpower. But the agency does respond to complaints and did tour the Planned Parenthood facility in October after a patient called.

Mary Peterson, who works for Delaware’s health department, said inspectors did not find any evidence during the inspection to support the nurses’ claims.

But five patients have been rushed from the facility to a nearby hospital since the beginning of the year, something Peterson said state officials would be looking at more closely.

Planned Parenthood of Delaware CEO Ruth Lytle-Barnaby denied any claims of unsanitary practices and said the facility is dedicated to providing a safe environment for women. She would not confirm the circumstances under which Mitchell-Werbrich and Vasikonis left. And the television station reports two other nurses and one abortionist have also quit working at the facility.

Earlier this year, a volunteer working for pro-life watchdog Operation Rescue, which documents medical emergencies at abortion facilities, was attacked outside the same Planned Parenthood location. Rae Stabosz, 63, was standing outside filming an ambulance that had just pulled up when a woman came out of the building and assaulted her. The woman shoved Stabosz to the ground, snatched her cell phone, and ran back inside. Stabosz followed her into the building, retrieved her phone, and continued filming the incident from the sidewalk.

Stabosz called the police and tried to press charges, but her attacker fled. The woman remains at large, according to Operation Rescue.