News
Featured Image
 Shutterstock.com

April 8, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) – A medical supply company canceled an abortion provider’s order for protective masks, saying that such scarce medical resources must be reserved for “health professionals” during the coronavirus pandemic.   

Battles have raged in medical circles and governments around the world over whether or not abortion is an “essential” surgical procedure during the COVID-19 crisis. So has the question of whether or not personal protective equipment (PPE) such as disposable masks, gowns, and gloves should be allocated to abortion clinics when those items are so critical to medical professionals working on the front lines caring for those suffering from the virus in order to mitigate its spread. 

Australia's largest abortion provider, Marie Stopes Australia (MSA), has said that after orders for PPE placed with suppliers were cancelled or refused, they can only continue to carry out abortions for two more weeks, according to a report published by BuzzFeed.com

“Today, a large supplier has cancelled our paid and outstanding order and told us that other healthcare professionals are a greater priority,” MSA chief executive Jamal Hakim told BuzzFeed News on Tuesday.  

Image

“Many PPE suppliers do not consider abortion to be health care,” Hakim said.  

The report continued:

On Tuesday, Clifford Hallam Healthcare (CHH) cancelled MSA's order. The email, seen by BuzzFeed News, says the company is unable to fulfil MSA's orders and has cancelled back orders following a request from the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA).

“We have been requested to reserve our supplies for health professionals as they are the first priority,” the email from CHH read. “We have had no option other (than) to cancel your back orders for all masks.”

The Australian government has also refused Marie Stopes’ requests for protective gear, telling the organization that the nation’s National Medical Stockpile was reserved for distribution to public hospitals, GP practices and community pharmacies.

A bright green banner is now displayed across MSA’s homepage, asserting, “We are an essential service and will continue to provide termination of pregnancy services,” contradicting the Australian government’s designation of the organization. 

“We fully intend to continue to provide our essentail (sic) services,” declared an online statement, updated today.  

Image

“However, the situation is dynamic and subject to rapid change, so we are evolving how we deliver services in line with any changes,” it continued. 

Abortions conducted during the pandemic: ‘medically irresponsible’

Dr. Christina Francis, chair of the board of the American Association of Prolife OB/GYNs (AAPLOG), told LifeSiteNews last month that continuing to perform elective procedures, such as abortion, during a pandemic is “medically irresponsible.”

“Abortions use up much-needed resources such as masks, gloves, and other personal protective equipment,” noted Dr. Francis.

In a statement sent to LifeSiteNews, the AAPLOG stated that “Abortions offer zero health benefits to women and do not treat a disease process” and issued a call for “abortions to be suspended according to the current recommendations pertaining to elective procedures and office visits.”

The pro-life medical statement stressed that abortion “potentially generates more patients to be seen in already overburdened emergency rooms.”

“Approximately five percent of women who undergo medication abortions will require evaluation in the hospital, most commonly for hemorrhage. Uterine perforation and hemorrhage can occur with surgical abortions,” the statement explained.

As the health crisis caused by the coronavirus has threatened to overwhelm healthcare providers, several U.S. states have ordered the suspension of elective abortions, sometimes resulting in court battles as abortion clinics fight to continue the gruesome procedure.  

In March, U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams, as well as the federal Centers for Disease Control (CDC), advised healthcare facilities to delay non-urgent appointments and elective procedures.