Abortion Clinic Tests Probed by FBI, Report Says
The FBI is investigating whether the state’s largest chain of abortion clinics rigged ultrasound tests so clients would undergo riskier, and more expensive, abortions, the Boston Globe reported Saturday.
The FBI and Brookline police searched the Brookline office of Repro Associates on Nov. 30, seizing medical records and documents as part of an ongoing criminal investigation of clinic owner Dr. Howard J. Silverman, the paper said. It cited anonymous sources.
The probe is reportedly focusing on whether ultrasounds were falsified in order to charge higher rates for procedures performed in more advanced stages of pregnancy.
Investigators are also examining whether Silverman followed through and performed the more invasive and expensive procedures required for later-term abortions, the Globe said.
Silverman charges between $300 and $500 for a first-trimester abortion, the newspaper said. But after 14 weeks, the procedure gets more complicated and can cost from $650 to $700. At 22 weeks, it can cost $2,100.
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