DOVER, Del. (AP) - The state Senate has unanimously approved a bill authorizing tighter regulations on abortion clinics in Delaware following recent problems at a Planned Parenthood clinic in Wilmington.
The bill approved Tuesday and sent to the House allows abortion clinic employees, not just patients, to file complaints for investigations by the Department of Health and Social Services.
The legislation also requires abortion clinics to be accredited by a state-approved independent accrediting organization with no conflict of interest. Planned Parenthood accredits its own clinics.
Lawmakers passed a bill two years ago requiring DHSS to develop accreditation regulations by March of last year for facilities in which invasive medical procedures are performed, but DHSS still has not established those regulations.
The Planned Parenthood clinic was cited recently for several unsafe and unsanitary practices.
