I recently read about an abortion doctor in Philadelphia who apparently is going to be shut down by the state because he is practicing bad medicine.    

We all know there are bad apples in any profession.  There are bad politicians, police, teachers, and priests.  The same goes for physicians, including physicians who provide abortion services.

Of course, one’s definition of “bad” is subjective but we do know that there are abortion doctors who prey on minorities, whose clinic does not provide adequate counseling, who will quote a fee but forget to inform you that there are “add-ons” once you get into the clinic.  There are some doctors who have had deaths in their facility, although even the best doctors can make a mistake or have something go wrong that it totally out of their power. 

The message here is if you are considering an abortion, do some homework.  Find out the name of the doctor and Google him or her.  You may find out something about them.   See if the clinic is a member of the National Abortion Federation (which has standards for its members) or the Abortion Care Network. 

If price is a consideration for you, be careful:   cheap is not always the best.  Indeed, if there is a clinic in your area that is charging $50 less than their competitor for a similar procedure, you might be a little careful.  They may be cutting corners somewhere, like not paying for malpractice insurance or having inexperienced staff people. 

If you discover that the physician has been the subject of a malpractice lawsuit, don’t take that at face value.  For years, an anti-abortion group brought a number of frivolous lawsuits designed to harass abortion doctors that ultimately were dismissed. 

The bottom line is be smart, shop carefully.  Like any other medical procedure, you want to make sure you are getting the best care possible.