Rep. Ted Budd Writes NC Board of Nursing Over Charlotte Abortion Clinic Allegations

Statement

Today, Rep. Ted Budd (R-NC) sent a letter to North Carolina Board of Nursing Chair Ann Marie Milner asking several questions regarding the board's inaction after disturbing allegations were leveled against a Charlotte abortion clinic.

The nurse who operates the abortion clinic was operating the facility with an expired license, and whistleblower testimony alleges that this individual turned a blind eye to sex trafficking of underage girls.

Rep. Budd introduced the Stopping Traffickers and Their Accomplices Act earlier this month, which would direct all abortion clinics to report potential human trafficking incidents to the National Human Trafficking Hotline and law enforcement.

The full text of the letter is below:

Chairwoman Milner,

It has come to my attention that Deborah Jane Walsh, a nurse who operates an abortion clinic in Charlotte, performed abortions after her medical license expired in 2015. Whistleblower testimony further implicates Ms. Walsh as turning a blind eye to sex trafficking of underage girls. The whistleblower states, "I saw a man bring to the clinic a girl seeking an abortion. The girl seeking an abortion appeared to be under 16 years of age, although I did not verify her age, since I was not involved in her care. Later, another worker at the clinic told me the same man had been there on prior occasions with different women or girls each time."

In light of these horrific revelations, I was disturbed to learn that the state board declined to take any action against Ms. Walsh.

The National Human Trafficking Hotline estimates that there are hundreds of thousands of victims of human trafficking in the United States at any given time. Earlier this month, I introduced the Stopping Traffickers and Their Accomplices Act (H.R. 6536) which would hold providers accountable if they fail to report to law enforcement any instance of an individual presenting at their facility who may be a victim of trafficking seeking an abortion or other services. I urge you to adopt similar requirements at the state level as a condition of licensure to protect vulnerable women and girls.

To that end, I ask you respond to the following questions no later than March 15, 2022:

Were you aware of Ms. Walsh continuing to practice after her license expired? If so, why did the board allow this in light of the allegations?

Why did the state board decline to take action against Ms. Walsh for the unauthorized practice of nursing?

Following the receipt of a whistleblower complaint against Ms. Walsh, why was this matter not referred to law enforcement?

Have individuals in or associated with the abortion industry contacted or pressured the state board to resist taking action against Ms. Walsh?

Are you aware of any other licensees that are complicit in or are facilitating sex trafficking?

What steps have you taken to ensure licensees protect victims of trafficking?

It is clear that more must be done to protect vulnerable women from sex traffickers and hold medical professionals accountable when they witness sex trafficking.

Thank you for your attention to this important matter.

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