South Carolina Suspends 2 of 3 Abortion Clinics in State After Investigation
Jennifer Gerson Uffalussy
Contributing Writer
September 11, 2015

The Columbia Health Center of Planned Parenthood South Atlantic, which was ordered to close today by the state. (Photo: WLTX 19)
The South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) has notified all three abortion clinics in the state that they are in violation of state laws and regulations — suspending two from operation unless violations are corrected within 15 days.
The DHEC issued an Administrative Order of Suspension to one Planned Parenthood clinic — Columbia Health Center of Planned Parenthood South Atlantic (PPSAT), which was found to have 21 violations, along with Greenville Women’s Clinic, found to have six violations. The reproductive and sexual health providers were given 15 days to address and correct violations before they are shut down by the state. Both centers were cited with noncompliance with the Women’s Right to Know Act, incomplete medical record documentation, and improper infectious waste disposal practices, among other violations.
The Women’s Right to Know Act is a controversial measure (versions of which have been implemented by many states) in which a woman seeking an abortion must be given educational materials instructing her where to receive a free ultrasound — often at a crisis pregnancy center — at least 24 hours before she receives an abortion. Such centers are nonprofits that counsel women against having abortions and are typically run by pro-life Christians.
The Charleston Women’s Center faced four minor violations and was given 15 days to submit a plan to fix them. It remains in operation at this time.
In a statement, South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, a Republican, said:
“The entire country was shocked by the videos showing Planned Parenthood employees’ horrifying disregard for human life. That prompted me to ask our appropriate state agency to investigate whether such wrongdoing was taking place in our state. The Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) has now completed its investigation and has concluded that all three abortion clinics in the state are in fact in violation of South Carolina laws or regulations.
This is completely unacceptable.
I fully support DHEC’s actions, including its referral of the matter to SLED [South Carolina Law Enforcement Division]. South Carolina is a compassionate state, and we are a state of laws. We will not tolerate law breaking of any kind, particularly as it relates to the callous treatment of human life.”
The South Carolina attorney general’s office also said in a statement that they have received the DHEC findings and are working with SLED “to determine if criminal action is warranted.”
Jenny Black, the CEO of Planned Parenthood South Atlantic, questioned if the move may be politically motivated.
“We are shocked to learn of DHEC’s decision today regarding our Columbia health center. Planned Parenthood South Atlantic (PPSAT) was inspected by DHEC earlier this month over the course of two days,” said Black. “After intense scrutiny, senior PPSAT patient services staff met with DHEC inspectors to review the findings. DHEC gave no indication at that time that they found any violations that warranted today’s extreme action.”
Related: 6 Facts About the Congressional Hearing on Planned Parenthood
The Columbia Health Center was inspected less than a year ago and was found to have 100 percent compliance with all state regulations.
“The reported administrative and operational issues do not rise to the level of shutting down health centers,” said Black. “We are reviewing all of the issues that were raised in these inspections and will of course comply with all state requests.”
“We are deeply concerned that this investigation is politically motivated and that this political interference could prevent some women from getting high-quality care,” she added.
In the 12 states that have opened investigations into Planned Parenthood in the wake of the undercover “sting” videos released by the antiabortion activist group the Center for Medial Progress (CMP) over the past month and a half, South Carolina is the only one to find violations. Five states have closed their investigations into Planned Parenthood, finding the health care provider free of all wrongdoing.
On Aug. 18, Haley called on the state’s director of the Department of Health and Environmental Control to begin an investigation into Planned Parenthood and the reproductive and sexual health care provider’s adherence to federal and state regulations pertaining to fetal tissue donation in response to the CMP’s undercover videos.
Related: What I Learned Working the Front Desk at Planned Parenthood
In her letter to director Catherine Heigel, Haley wrote that her impetus for calling for this investigation was “unethical practices at clinics affiliated with Planned Parenthood, particularly those regarding the sale of human fetal tissue. These practices are not consistent with the laws or character of our state, and I believe this should make us pause and review Planned Parenthood’s operations in South Carolina.”
Haley’s letter suggested that the scope of the investigation should look beyond fetal tissue donation practices, and instead include a “prompt and comprehensive investigation of the policies of practices of abortion clinics in our state, prioritize those affiliated with or owned by Planned Parenthood, its subsidiaries, and its affiliates” as the state “cannot allow an organization with broken internal oversight and a flawed corporate culture to behave the way Planned Parenthood has in other states.”
Indeed, the DHEC cited PPSAT with 21 violations, most of which are largely administrative and operational in their nature, many pertaining to completion of paperwork — and they were issued following two site investigations held at the affiliate clinic following Haley’s call for the DHEC investigation.
Related: The Female Face Behind the Senate’s Bill to Defund Planned Parenthood
Haley’s letter to the DHEC echoes the tone of letters sent by the state’s Attorney General Alan Wilson to both Heigel and State Senator Kevin Bryant, noting that his office was opening its own investigation into Planned Parenthood for potential Medicaid fraud.
Yahoo Health has acquired a letter from Attorney General Wilson’s office dated July 30, 2015, just over two weeks after the release of the first Center for Medical Progress tape, from Wilson to Lenna Fox Smith, the CEO of the Piedmont Women’s Center, a South Carolina crisis pregnancy center with two locations in the state, one in Greenville and one in Greer.
In the letter, Wilson sends his regrets for not being able to attend an event with her on that date; though not detailed in the letter, this event is presumably the rally held at a Piedmont Women’s Center location by antichoice activists calling for the federal defunding of Planned Parenthood. In his letter, Wilson tells Smith “that the South Carolina Attorney General’s office will forward any complaint regarding criminal activity in the State of South Carolina by Planned Parenthood to the State Law Enforcement Division for investigation. The Attorney General’s office will prosecute any criminal wrongdoing to the fullest extent of the law.” Wilson closes the letter by thanking Smith for her work and all that “crisis pregnancy centers do to protect the unborn.”
Fox Smith sits on Haley’s Faith and Family Coalition in the governor’s office, and Haley sent video greetings for the CPC’s annual gala this year. The Piedmont Women’s Center had a $1.7 million operating budget for the 2014 fiscal year.
The Piedmont Women’s Center crisis pregnancy centers (CPCs) are not qualified medical clinics and not held to the same state regulations to which medical clinics must adhere. According to a report by the New York Times, in 2013 there were approximately 2,500 CPCs in the United States, compared with 1,800 abortion providers. (This number of abortion providers has no doubt dropped in recent years due to increased restrictions on abortion providers in states like Texas.) Many CPCs, including the Piedmont Women’s Center offices, receive federal funding.
Furthermore, South Carolina passed legislation over a decade ago to fund CPCs from state dollars generated through the sale of specialized“Choose Life” license plates.