By Msgr. Noel C. Burtenshaw

Midtown Hospital, an abortion facility on Ponce de Leon Avenue in Atlanta, has issued new policies and procedures regarding actions to be taken in the case of “live births.”

The new procedures were promised after the Georgia Department of Human Resources (DHR) was informed that 14 live births took place in Midtown during 1980, 1981 and 1982. The DHR had issued death certificates in the cases of the 14 births that had occurred following abortion procedures. The story of those live births and deaths was reported in The Georgia Bulletin on April 28.

The newly published procedures, which became effective on May 1, are more detailed and twice as lengthy as the old.

Asked by The Georgia Bulletin to compare the old and the new, Dr. Robert Kral, an obstetrician, said, “They seem to be better than the old. However, the key for me is whether the ‘attending physician’ mentioned in the new procedures is a pediatrician,” Dr. Kral said. “With a newborn baby, especially a premature baby you must have a pediatrician in attendance.”

The new procedures which are called “Policies and Procedures Regarding Live Births” were given to The Georgia Bulletin by Mr. Clyde Roy, director of the Department of Human Resources, in an interview last week.

Asked how the procedures are to be implemented, Mr. Roy stated, “They were presented to this department on May 1, as we requested. Midtown Hospital, like any other hospital, presents these procedures to its own governing body. That body presents them to us for inspection. However, it is the governing body which is responsible for implementation of the policies and procedures.”

Roy went on to say, “If this department finds anything out of place upon inspection, action is taken to have the governing body change them. If there is not proper cooperation, a hearing is held by this department.”

Presently, the hearing officer for the Department of Human Resources is Robert Van Norte.

Now that new procedures are available, will they be immediately inspected by the department? “We will have a committee led by an obstetrician-gynecologist (OB-GYN) physician look at the new policies as soon as possible,” said Mr. Roy. “However, these matters take time.” Asked if the public could attend that meeting, Roy stated, “Probably not.”

However, he pointed out that if a public group wished to make an objection to the procedures, they could take their objection to the governing body of the hospital.

If satisfaction was not received, recourse could be had in the courts or with the Department of Human Resources, he said.

The governing body of Midtown Hospital is led by Dr. Herbert Wiskind. Dr. Wiskind, a podiatrist, is not a medical doctor (M.D.) “It is not required,” said Mr. Roy, “that an M.D. head up the governing body of any hospital.”

Neither the old policies nor the new ones mentioned how the hospital was to dispose of the remains of a live birth. Commenting, Mr. Roy stated, “Midtown has a contract with a licensed undertaker.” Since the hospital refused to give the name of the undertaker when contacted by The Georgia Bulletin, Mr. Roy was asked if the public has a right to know the name of the undertaker. He responded, “I don’t know.”

Mr. Roy was informed that interested groups, after reviewing the new policies, may wish to appear before the medical committee of the Department of Human Resources. He responded that if such a group proved to be knowledgeable, and had responsible questions concerning the policies and procedures on life births, “they could approach the board. Just have them contact us.”