Correction: New Mexico Taxpayers Funded 5,889 Abortions At A Staggering $791,106.50 From 2017-20199/27/2020 By Tara Shaver Albuquerque, New Mexico- On August 18, 2020, Abortion Free New Mexico published a report detailing information obtained from the New Mexico Department of Human Services related to Medicaid funded abortions in New Mexico from 2017 through 2019. In the report, we identified Dr. Steven Gough as the medical director for Women’s Specialists of New Mexico and reported that he had performed 8 abortions between 2017 and 2019. Dr. Gough has contacted us and states that two of the statements contained in our article are incorrect. Dr. Gough tells us that he is neither the medical director of Women’s Specialists of New Mexico, nor has he performed any abortions.
As a result, we are also following up with a request for additional information from the New Mexico Department of Human Services to ensure that this does not occur in the future. Read the full corrected report below, NEW MEXICO TAXPAYERS FUNDED 5,889 ABORTIONS AT A STAGGERING $791,106.50 FROM 2017-2019Newly obtained Medicaid data by Abortion Free New Mexico reveals that from 2017-2019 state tax payers paid$791,106.50 for 5,889 abortions. The data was acquired through a public records request and also includes the names of 94 doctors, midwives and nurses who were paid by the state for the procedures. In addition to free-standing abortion facilities, nine hospitals were also paid for abortions through New Mexico Medicaid. New Mexico is one 16 states that uses state tax dollars to fully fund abortions, because of the supreme court ruling in New Mexico Right to Choose/NARAL v. Johnson. The court ruled, in part, that the life of the unborn child is not compelling enough to outweigh the special interest of the mother. For this reason, New Mexicans are forced to foot the bill for low income women who qualify for New Mexico Medicaid and choose to have an abortion. It is a reality that infuriates many people of faith and conscience who would rather see their hard earned money used to promote life and provide legitimate help and resources to low income women with unplanned pregnancies. Bud Shaver of Abortion Free New Mexico issued the following statement, "New Mexico tax payers should be outraged that our hard earned tax money from 2017-2019 was spent to fund 5,889 abortions at a staggering cost of $791,123.32! American's fought to gain our independence from tyrants in 1776, in part, due to taxation (of 3 pence per pound on tea) without equal representation. How much more egregious is it that our tax dollars are being used to fund the killing of innocent children without our ability to refuse? The New Mexico Supreme Court ruling, New Mexico Right to Choose/NARAL v. Johnson foisted a tyrannical precedent upon the tax payers of New Mexico without any due recourse to remedy this unjust burden. Furthermore, with New Mexico ranked as one of the poorest states in the country, surely there are better ways that New Mexico tax dollars could be spent to help low income mothers rise up out of poverty then simply providing them with abortions. Instead of providing reasonable solutions, the New Mexico Supreme Court, unfortunately, has misappropriated our tax dollars to eliminate poor children through Medicaid funded abortions." Dishonorable Mentions Southwestern Women's Options, Albuquerque's late term abortion facility, where abortions are performed through all nine months of pregnancy received the most money $340,773.61 out of the five abortion facilities in the state. Southwestern Women's Options employs abortionists Shelley Sella who received $147,697.50 and Carmen Laundau who received $102,874.50 both of whom are at the top of the list in terms of abortion numbers and payments received. Sella is a resident of California who travels to New Mexico to abort babies in the latest stages of pregnancy. Landau lives in New Mexico, but received her medical degree from Communist Cuba. Abortionists at Southwestern Women's Options performed 1,957 Medicaid funded abortions, each one representing a innocent child's life. The University of New Mexico- UNM, which has its own off-campus free standing abortion facility, received the second highest payments totaling $300,858.91 but actually performed 2,686 abortions, which was 729 more abortions than Southwestern Women's Options during the same three year period. The data showed many medical doctors that were affiliated with UNM, presumably residents, who have since moved on from New Mexico and now practice in other states. This confirms what Abortion Free New Mexico has stated for years, that UNM is at the heart of the New Mexico abortion cartel. Their abortion training and residency training programs are a catalyst for what the abortion industry hopes will be responsible for raising up the next generation of abortion providers. Thankfully, the numbers of abortion providers continues to be on the decline. Not every OB-GYN doctor is willing to betray true medicine by offering abortions in their offices. Planned Parenthood, which is the nations largest abortion provider, was next in line performing 761 abortions and receiving $67,408.98. Vivianne Clark, a registered nurse and Lucia Cies, who closed her private abortion practice in 2011, appear to be the primary abortion providers of the Planned Parenthood facilities that are located in Santa Fe and Albuquerque. The Women's Specialists of New Mexico practitioners that were reimbursed for 73 medicaid funded abortion procedures in addition to the physicians affiliated with Lovelace Medical group were the most surprising. One doctor alone at Lovelace, Regan Riley performed 70 abortions! Lovelace has been known to be more pro-life friendly and many were under the impression that abortions were not performed in their facilities. This medicaid data proves otherwise and should be cause for concern in the pro-life community.
Here are the hospitals where abortions occurred and their abortion totals:
Abortion Numbers Statewide Are On The Decline Over the course of the three year period, abortions that were covered by New Mexico Medicaid did decline each year. In 2017, there were 2,285 performed. In 2018, the number dropped to 2,109 and in 2019 was the steepest drop with 1,495 abortions that Medicaid covers. Tax payers can only hope that the numbers continue to decrease as more women choose life for their babies.
New Mexico tax payers deserve to know how their tax dollars are used as well as which practitioners in the community are willing to provide abortions. Each abortion takes a child's life and this report should encourage the pro-life community to be even more diligent in working to build a culture of life in New Mexico.
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By Bud Shaver Albuquerque, New Mexico- A perfect storm created by formal medical and nursing board complaints filed against abortionist Franz Theard and his clinic manager, Gloria Martinez, in addition to Texas deeming abortions non-essential, has caused Hill Top Women's Reproductive Clinic, an abortion facility in El Paso, TX to close its doors for good. Southwest Coalition for Life announced this weekend that after many months of seeing hints at the facilities closure, they have confirmed that Hill Top Women's Reproductive Clinic of El Paso is for sale and will not reopen. Exactly one year ago (September of 2019) Abortion Free New Mexico announced Hill Top as the weak link of the abortion cartel in New Mexico. Franz Theard, an abortionist of 36 years, has dominated the borderland region of New Mexico and Texas with his abortion businesses in El Paso, TX and right across the border in Santa Theresa, NM. While his New Mexico facility will remain open, it is an answer to prayer and the fruit of a lot of hard work done by the pro-life community, that his El Paso facility will no longer be killing innocent children. For years, Theard has utilized his Santa Theresa, New Mexico location to circumvent Texas abortion laws by directing minors to obtain abortions without their parents knowledge across state lines. Abortion Free New Mexico exposed this with documentation obtained by an undercover investigation and recorded phone calls. Abortion Free New Mexico's investigations brought much scrutiny to Hill Top and prompted further investigations into these abortion businesses on both sides of the border. In another undercover investigation conducted by Abortion Free New Mexico it was discovered that Gloria Martinez, a registered nurse was performing illegal medical abortions. This was being done in defiance of Texas laws that state that only licensed physicians may perform abortion procedures, both medical and surgical. The formal complaint filed against Gloria Martinez with the The Texas Board of Nursing, by Abortion Free New Mexico, is currently ongoing.
Southwest Coalition for Life filed a separate Texas medical board complaint against Franz Theard in March of this year for circumventing Governor Greg Abbott's order that deemed abortions non-essential. After Hill Top in El Paso could no longer operate, Theard was seen moving his surgical abortion machine across state lines to his New Mexico clinic. He subsequently injured a woman during an abortion procedure and she was taken to a Texas hospital for emergent care. One Year Ago This MonthAbortion Free New Mexico was blessed to travel to Santa Theresa, NM and El Paso, TX last September for a public awareness campaign to expose Franz Theard and Hill Top's grisly abortion business. Pictured below. In addition to a public presence on the ground in El Paso, TX and Santa Teresa, NM Abortion Free New Mexico mailed over 2,000 postcards throughout the two borderland communities letting them them know about Franz Theard’s double life as an abortionist and OBGYN doctor delivering babies at TWO local hospitals! "The closure of Hill Top Women's Reproductive Clinic in Texas can only be attributed to the relentless efforts of the borderland pro-life community, with whom Abortion Free New Mexico was thankful to collaborate with, as well as the mounting pressure of two formal Texas complaints filed against Theard and his clinic manager Gloria Martinez. This compounded with the actions of both the Texas Governor and Lieutenant Governor to deem abortion clinics non-essential highlights how perseverance, formal complaints and strong political leadership matters and can permanently shut down abortion clinics and save lives," stated Tara Shaver, spokeswoman for Abortion Free New Mexico. Unfortunately, due to New Mexico's lack of accountability by state agencies and the fact that the New Mexico Governor has deemed abortion facilities essential, Franz Theard has moved his abortion business across the border from Texas into New Mexico and will continue to kill babies until the leadership in New Mexico drastically changes. In addition to our investigative projects and public awareness campaigns, Abortion Free New Mexico is also working hard to make sure that happens this November 3rd by supporting pro-life candidates so that they win their races. (Pictured above) "Hitting the streets in the Kirkland Addition of Albuquerque, New Mexico and going door to door for pro-life candidates including Dinah Vargas for NM House of Representatives District 10, Lisa Meyer-Hagen for New Mexico Senate District 12, Michelle Garcia Holmes for Congress CD1 and the conservative judges. This area is the epicenter in Bernalillo County where Senate District 12 and New Mexico House District 10 merge and overlap. These NM House and Senate Districts are home to Southwestern Women's Options the nation's largest late-term abortion killing center and UNM Center for Reproductive Health (UNMCRH) the University of New Mexico's tax funded free standing late-term abortion facility. By flipping these crucial seats in November, it will have the greatest impact of building a culture of Life in New Mexico." Bud Shaver of Abortion Free New Mexico. By Bud Shaver Albuquerque, New Mexico- This week has been a busy week as our New Mexico Republican candidates are boldly standing up to represent our Pro-Life Values and to support the most pro-life President in our lifetime, President Donald Trump! Over 200 supporters greeted the "Women For Trump" campaign bus as it stopped in Albuquerque on Wednesday on its way through New Mexico which is one 10 states that the Women For Trump Bus is visiting in an effort to flip them Red and elect Donald J. Trump on election day November 3rd. Pictured above are Michelle Garcia Holmes (R) for US Congressional District 1, Dinah Vargas (R) for House District 10 and Lisa Meyer-Hagen (R) for Senate District 12. The Associated Press covered the event and interviewed Michelle Garcia Holmes who will represent our pro-life values and help advance President Donald Trump's America First agenda in Washington D.C., “I believe the Senate has put together a very good package,” said Michelle Garcia Holmes, a former police detective who is running against first-term U.S. Rep. Debra Haaland in the 1st Congressional District the encompasses Albuquerque. "I think it’s time to start getting the American people back to work and start moving forward and jump back in to Trump’s economy."
Join Us On Friday for a Press Conference At UNM Abortion FacilityAbortion Free New Mexico will be holding a press conference this Friday, September 11th at 10:30am at the UNM Center for Reproductive Health located at 2301 Yale Blvd. SE. Local candidates including the Garcia Holmes for Congress campaign, Dinah Vargas for House District 10, and Manuel Lardizabal for Senate District 26 will speak and call for the University of New Mexico (UNM) to remove the "Heroes Work Here" banner from their free-standing abortion facility. This banner was placed on the building within the last few months as abortions were deemed essential services in New Mexico. UNM REMOVE THAT BANNER AND CLOSE ABORTION FACILITY (UNMCRH) Click Here To Sign The Petition Join Us For a Press Conference Friday, September 11, 2020 What: To ask UNM to remove the "Heroes Work Here" banner from UNMCRH. Time: 10:30am When: Friday, September 11, 2020 Where: 2301 Yale Blvd. SE (South of Gibson/Yale) Speakers: Michelle Garcia Holmes for New Mexico Congressional District 1 Dinah Vargas for House District 10 Manuel Lardizabal for Senate District 26
Join Us on Saturday for The National Day of Remembrance For Aborted ChildrenBack in 2018, the University of New Mexico rejected our request to properly burry 72 aborted babies that were harvested from Southwestern Women's Options for experimental research. The Associated Press reported back on September 10, 2018, "The Albuquerque Journal reports Tara and Bud Shaver, of Abortion Free New Mexico, asked Dr. Paul Roth, chancellor of the University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, to transfer 72 'aborted baby remains' to an Albuquerque mortuary “so that they may receive a proper burial. Roth told the Shaver group that he couldn’t agree to turn over the “tissue,” which was anonymously donated by women who sought abortion care at an “outside facility.”
Unfortunately, the University of New Mexico did not see humanity in these children and refused to allow us to give them a resting place. It is heartbreaking to realize that abortion victims are often simply disposed of, as Abortion Free New Mexico reported on last week. Companies like New Mexico Waste Recovery and Stericycle make a good living off of the discarding of these children as "biohazard waste." We, however, must see these babies for who they are, precious masterpieces created in the image of God. Join us this Saturday, September 12, 2020 from 10AM-11AM at Sandia Memory Garden as the pro-life community will hold a solemn memorial service to remember America's aborted children and to renew our resolve to always fight for them and to be their voices. This solemn memorial service will last approximately one hour.
Special guests participating in the event include:
In the Sermon on the Mount, Our Lord promised us: "Blessed are they who mourn, for they will be comforted." On September 12, we seek that divine comfort as we mourn for the victims of abortion. Let us never forget their precious lives as we continue to work and pray for an end to abortion.
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