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Kat Sabine is a victim.  At least, that’s what she would like you to believe.  She recently took to local and internet media to accuse the state of Arizona of “bullying” her due to her pro-abortion activism, after they sent her a letter in response to an anonymous tip that she may have been operating an abortion clinic out of her home.

On September 29, the Arizona Department of Health Services (ADHS) sent Sabine a certified letter notifying her that they had received an anonymous complaint accusing her of providing “health services” at her home.  Since Arizona state law requires abortion and health care facilities to be licensed and inspected, and Sabine’s residence is not, ADHS sent Sabine a form called an “Attestation Letter” asking her to verify what sorts of activities were happening in her home, aside from the purely domestic.  They included a form listing exemptions to the licensing and inspection requirements, and advised her to select one of them in order to avoid a surprise inspection of her residence.

Sabine is the executive director of NARAL Pro-Choice Arizona (formerly known as the National Abortion Rights Action League), and apparently conducts most of the state chapter’s business out of her house.  In her response to ADHS, she referred to her residence as a “facility” devoted to “community education, advocacy, or recovery support.”  She objected to the fact that the response form left her no option to deny that she was providing medical services, nor did the list of licensing and inspection exemptions provided by the state mention the one she felt would best apply to her organization: “Community education, advocacy or recovery support groups that are not owned or operated by or contracted to provide services with a health care institution.”

Sabine also did what any other abortion activist would do when faced with such “bullying” tactics as a letter: She called the ACLU, which sent a much more threatening letter of its own to ADHS, accusing the department of harassment and promising to sue if they continued their investigation. 

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In response, an ADHS official emailed the ACLU to let them know that the investigation had already been closed based on Sabine’s Attestation Letter.

“The letter was accepted and there will not be a need for any further follow up,” the email said. “We have closed out the complaint based on the letter received. Thank you and NARAL for working with the Department. We have made a note of the organizations [sic] role and that it does not meet the definition of a healthcare institution.”

Although Sabine was cleared of any wrongdoing by ADHS without so much as an investigation, that wasn’t good enough for Sabine or the ACLU.  The organization has demanded a list of every complaint filed with ADHS alleging the provision unlicensed medical services since January 1, 2011, along with the related Attestation Letters and any other records pertaining to such investigations.

“Over the last few years, I have rallied against legislation targeted at reproductive health care providers,” Sabine said in a statement issued through the ACLU. “During this year’s legislative session, when our officials passed a law that allowed warrantless inspections of reproductive health clinics, I sounded the alarm, warning the public that such a law could be abused to intimidate health care providers and invade women’s privacy. Little did I know the state would turn around and target advocates like me.”

“Our health department is basing its fishing expeditions on baseless complaints and using its authority to harass people in their homes,” Ms. Sabine added.