Sylvia Moore, shoved out the door to die

Eighteen-year-old Sylvia Moore underwent an abortion at the hands of Arnold Bickham (pictured) on New Year's Eve of 1986. After the abortion, Sylvia was bleeding, weak, and unable to walk. Bickham called her "lazy," put her in a wheelchair, and physically ejected her from his Chicago clinic.

Staff at a nearby hospital tried in vain to save Sylvia, who had arrived with no pulse and no blood pressure. An emergency hysterectomy was done to remove her lacerated uterus, which still had a plastic instrument embedded in it.

So gross was the negligence of Arnold Bickham that the medical examiner ruled Sylvia's death to be a homicide. However, no charges were pressed against him.

Sylvia was the last woman identified as having died from abortion complications in 1986. The others I've found are:

• Christella Forte, died January 14
  
• Janyth Caldwell, died February 4
  
• Laniece Dorsey, died February 6
  
• Magnolia Thomas, died February 19
  
• Gail Wright, died March 26
  
• Gloria Aponte, died April 19
  
• Claudia Caventou, died May 8
  
• Dorothy Bryant, , died June 1
  
• Donna Heim, died August 13
  
• Carol Cunningham, died August 22
  
• Jacqueline Reynolds, died September 5
  
• Liliana Cortez, died September 25
  
• Michelle Madden, died November 22
  
• Luz Rodriguez, date of death undetermined

The CDC counted 11 legal abortion deaths for 1986, compared to the 15 I'm aware of. That means that I, personally, know of 36% more deaths for 1986 than the CDC is reporting. And since I don't know for sure which 11 women the CDC counted, it could well be that they're aware of deaths that I missed and that the number is actually higher. I do this on my own time and my own dime; the CDC is heavily staffed with people paid a good salary to keep track of this sort of thing. What does that say for their diligence?

For more abortion deaths, visit the Cemetery of Choice:



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