TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – The state Agency for Health Care Administration said Wednesday it will take action against three Planned Parenthood clinics, alleging that they performed second-trimester abortions without proper licenses.
Gov. Rick Scott last week ordered AHCA to investigate 16 Planned Parenthood clinics that perform abortions. The order came as Planned Parenthood has been under fire nationally after the release of a series of undercover videos related to fetal tissue.
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AHCA said Wednesday it found deficiencies at four clinics, including one that did not properly label fetal tissue. The clinics are in St. Petersburg, Fort Myers, Naples and Pembroke Pines, according to documents released by the agency.
The documents allege that the clinics in St. Petersburg, Fort Myers and Naples were licensed to perform first-trimester abortions but performed procedures in the second trimester.
The documents indicate that the clinics have defined the start of the second trimester differently than AHCA does. The clinics considered the first trimester to last 13 weeks and six days, while state investigators used a rule defining the second trimester as the "portion of a pregnancy following the 12th week and extending through the 24th week of gestation."
The documents said abortions were performed, for example, at 13 weeks and three days and 13 weeks and four days.
AHCA also alleged a deficiency at the Pembroke Pines facility for improperly labeling fetal remains that were temporarily stored in a freezer, according to the documents. The agency ordered a "corrective action plan."
After Scott announced the investigation last week, Planned Parenthood described it as politically motivated.