In February 2008, The Ohio Department of Health issued a cease and desist order for the Women’s Med Center abortion facility on 1401 Stroop Road in Kettering to close operations because owner/abortionist Martin Haskell did not have a publicly identifiable transfer agreement with a nearby hospital, as required by law.

On March 5, 2008 it was announced in the Dayton Daily News that three Dayton-area physicians who have admitting privileges at Miami Valley Hospital, including Dr. Lawrence S. Amesse of Oakwood, Dr. Janice M. Duke of Kettering, and Dr. Sheela M. Barhan of Beavercreek, had agreed to help the abortion facility meet the requirement for a written transfer agreement. The physicians have offices in the Berry Woman’s Pavillion at Miami Valley Hospitals and are also members of the faculty of Wright State University Boonshaft Medical School and are members of Wright State Physicians, Inc.

Their actions have enabled the abortion facility to stay in operation, so the killing of preborn babies continues in Kettering.

Efforts in the months following the announcement to discuss the situation privately with the three physicians by medical professionals and members of pro-life organizations have been unproductive.

Information outreach activities began in September of 2008 near the main entrance to the hospital and near one of the entrances to the Berry Women’s Pavillion where the three doctors maintain offices. The outreach includes signs identifying the doctors and literature explaining the situation.

Elective abortion involves the violent killing of innocent, defenseless fellow human beings. With over 48 million surgical abortions in the U.S. since 1973, it is an evil of historic proportions, similar in scope to the mass killings in Rwanda, Cambodia, Communist China and Russia, and Nazi Germany.

History shows if this kind of evil is not confronted it only grows in strength.

Between 45 and 50 babies are killed each week in Kettering through elective abortion or approximately 2,500 per year. Given the urgency of this situation, we call on all members of the community to educate themselves on the nature and scope of elective abortion and to work to end it. We urge the three doctors to reconsider their role in enabling elective abortions to continue in Kettering.

The best way to eliminate elective abortions is to eliminate the perceived need for them. We urge the doctors now enabling abortion to continue in Kettering to join with other volunteers, including many area-physicians, who provide services, counseling, material assistance, and training for women who may be contemplating abortion. We urge them to help with educational efforts on responsible decision-making and to help make adoption a significant option. Any mother who feels she has no other choice but to abort her baby should know that caring people in this community stand ready to help.

Respect for the life of all human beings is one of the pillars upon which a civilized society rests and we urge the many innovative and creative institutions – from our nationally ranked hospitals, our universities, churches, philanthropic agencies, and media organizations – to work together to make the Dayton area a leading example of a culture that welcomes, values, and respects life and whose people can formulate solutions to significant social problems.