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A doctor exits Hope Medical Group in Shreveport, La.John Lombard / YouTube

WASHINGTON, D.C., March 27, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) — Today, Live Action, a national leading pro-life non-profit organization, released footage and transcripts exposing that Hope Medical Group, an abortion facility in Shreveport, Louisiana and the plaintiff in the current Supreme Court case June Medical Services v. Russo, is committing abortions in defiance of a statewide ban.

Hope Medical Group’s ongoing operations are in violation of a Louisiana Department of Health order that non-essential and elective surgical procedures must cease during the COVID-19 crisis. The order was made to preserve Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) that is desperately needed by healthcare workers on the frontlines of the battle against COVID-19. Additional goals of the order are to better utilize hospital staff, equipment, and bed capacity to save lives as the number of cases of COVID-19 continues to rise.

In two recorded phone calls on March 26, 2020, Hope Medical Group employees told Live Action investigators that they are open and operating saying: “Currently we are the only facility that I know anywhere nearby that’s open and operating, and we’ll stay open and operating as long as possible.”

Hope Medical Group made it clear over the phone that they are scheduling abortions:

0:20 CALLER: Hi, um, are you guys still scheduling abortions?

0:25 HOPE MEDICAL: We are! Unfortunately, our first session we don’t have an available appointment just because we are so busy until April 6th.

Hope Medical Group also confirmed that, in addition to seeing women from Louisiana, they are seeing women from Texas, which has issued a statewide halt to abortion:

1:04 HOPE MEDICAL: That’s correct ’cause um…we are booked solid because we are serving all of Louisiana as well as Texas at this, at this point due to shut downs from government offices.

And Hope Medical Group has no plans to stop carrying out abortions at this time: 

4:08 HOPE MEDICAL: Yes. Currently, um, we are the only facility that I know anywhere nearby is open and operating. [4:15 CALLER: Oh, okay.] And we will stay open and operating [4:19 CALLER: Okay.] as long as possible.

Lila Rose, founder and president of Live Action, stated:

In Louisiana, the abortion industry proves once again that it will seek profit no matter what. While the rest of the world is focused on rescuing the vulnerable from COVID-19, Hope Medical Group is scheduling abortions that will kill children, harm women, and use up precious medical resources like masks, gloves, and gowns. 

As Louisiana Senator Katrina Jackson noted on Thursday, Louisiana’s legitimate medical providers, like dentists, are donating these valuable resources to the hospitals fighting COVID-19 in Louisiana. But Hope Medical Group is focused on nothing but profiting from abortion. We call on Governor John Bel Edwards and Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry to immediately shut down Hope Medical Group and penalize it for defying the state and endangering the community.

Listen to Live Action’s investigative calls here and follow Live Action on Twitter for updates.