The part of the law that addresses the new standards states:

The Department is authorized to apply any requirement for the licensure of ambulatory surgical centers to the standards applicable to clinics certified by the Department to be suitable facilities for the performance of abortions. The rules shall ensure that standards for clinics certified by the Department address the on-site recovery phase of patient care at the clinic, protect patient privacy, provide quality assurance, and ensure that patients with complications receive the necessary medical attention, while not unduly restricting access.

So it's not entirely clear which new standards the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services will enforce (if any). If the DHHS decides to apply all requirements of ambulatory surgical centers to clinics, the state's 15 remaining clinics would have to undergo expensive renovations or close. Drexdal Pratt, director of DHHS' Division of Health Service Regulation, told lawmakers earlier this month that an ambulatory surgical center costs about $1 million more to build than a regular clinic.

Abortion rights activists claim that Femcare's suspension illustrates that the new law is unnecessary. Reed told local media, "I think this is continued evidence that the regulations we already have in place are working."

Femcare's safety violations included not having a resuscitator available, not having a director of nurses in charge of all nurses, not having an agreement with a licenses anesthesiologist, and not adequately mopping operating room floors. Dr. Lorraine Cummings of Femcare issued this statement on Wednesday: "We have had no patient infections using our former protocols. We expect to be in compliance soon with the required standards and will return to serving our patients as soon as possible."

Photo: Abortion rights activists protesting the new legislation earlier in July, via AP

This article is from the archive of our partner The Wire.