A woman in North Carolina operated an abortion clinic without a nursing license and exhibited strange behavior while on the job, according to whistleblowers who previously worked for her.
Deborah Jane Walsh allegedly continued to own and operate her abortion facility, Family Reproductive Health in Charlotte, North Carolina, even after her LPN (Licensed Practical Nurse) license had expired.
The two whistleblowers, who are represented by the Thomas More Society, say Walsh lived in the clinic and also describe several incidents where Walsh’s behavior alarmed them. The society is also representing a third former employee.
“She would tell patients unusual things, such as the abortion was only being performed on a ‘spirit’ or a ‘fairy.’ Ms. Walsh’s unusual behavior combined with her keeping a firearm on the premises made clinic staff, including myself, fearful for our safety and the safety of others,” one of the former clinic employees said, according to their attorneys.
One of the whistleblowers also described a situation in which Walsh appeared to be facilitating underage abortions and potentially enabling sex trafficking.
“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,” the former employee said, according to the women’s legal team.
Walsh was also illegally living in her abortion facility office, where she had a bed, stove, clothes, and groceries, according to one of the whistleblowers. She frequently took melatonin and Benadryl and slept during the workday, coming out to the work area “disoriented and confused,” the former employee said.
In one “particularly disturbing incident,” a former employee said she heard a gun chambering a round, and Walsh appeared brandishing a shotgun. Walsh said she thought it was nighttime and that the clinic workers were burglars, the woman recalled. A photo allegedly showing Walsh’s firearm shows a pump-action shotgun resting on a swivel chair in an office.
Walsh also committed violations relating to informed consent, unsanitary and unsafe conditions, improper sterilization techniques, and not disposing of biohazardous materials properly, one of the former employees alleges.
Walsh could not be reached for comment.
A search for Walsh’s nursing license on the North Carolina Board of Nursing website shows that her LPN license was approved in 1986 and expired in January 2015. However, she still describes herself as a nurse and as the “Executive Director/Owner” of the abortion clinic on the Family Reproductive Health website.
“As a nurse, a mother and a feminist, I wanted to create a different atmosphere for women confronting sexuality and pregnancy decisions,” reads a quote from Walsh featured on the website.
Google reviews of the clinic from patients saying they received abortions have been posted for years since 2015. The most recent abortion review appears to be from about a year ago. About 10 months ago, Walsh herself appears to have responded to a question from a user wondering why no one was answering the phone at the clinic.
“Since the pandemic began last year, we have had no office staff at all. The employees decided to go on unemployment and take care of their families,” a user posting under the name Deborah Walsh writes. “On days we see patients we have RNs, our Dr., and a senior staff member to coordinate your care. GYN care during a pandemic is a bear!”
The reviews are mixed, some saying their experience was “great” and others calling it “horrible.” One review says the clinic has a “little spiritual space,” and another says the clinic “overall had a weird vibe.”
Back in November, the three women, all of whom worked for Walsh well into 2020, submitted a complaint to the North Carolina Board of Nursing through their attorneys.
The board responded saying it investigated the matter and no action would be taken against Walsh.
“In this instance after careful review of the information submitted by you along with additional information obtained through an investigation, no action will be taken against Ms. Deborah Walsh,” the state nursing board wrote in a Jan. 15 letter to attorney Tyler Brooks of the Thomas More Society, which is representing the whistleblowers.
Now, the whistleblowers are filing a formal complaint with the state’s Department of Health and Human Services.
The former employees of Family Reproductive Health are “warning the public and trying to stop the deception, fraud, and criminal practices by their former boss,” the Thomas More Society attorneys said.
“It cannot get much easier than this to prove the unauthorized practice of nursing, with ‘clear and convincing evidence,’” attorney Matt Heffron of the Thomas More Society told The Daily Wire.
“How much more dangerous can it be than this? A shotgun wielding person, who thinks infants in the womb are ‘fairies’ or ‘spirits,’ and who apparently recklessly facilitates underaged abortions and sex-trafficking? Yet the NC Board of Nursing does not have a problem with this non-nurse giving out nursing advice to the unsuspecting public,” Heffron added.
Heffron said the state nursing board should have sent a “forceful” cease-and-desist letter, “widely published” Walsh’s alleged falsehoods, made sure the public was aware, and referred the matter to law enforcement.