Sad anniversaries

In January of 1902, Abraham Conheim promised marriage to 19-year-old Harriet Larocque. According to her father, Harriet was "previously chaste and of good reputation." With the promise of marriage, Harriet became sexually involved with Conheim.

In April of 1902, Harriet discovered that she was pregnant. Conheim reneged on his promise of marriage, and instead arranged a criminal abortion for her. Harriet took ill after the abortion, dying on April 25. Her father sued Conheim for seducing and debauching his daughter, impregnanting her, and causing her death.

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On April 25, 1932, 17-year-old Mrs. Frank Lee, a University of Oklahoma co-ed, became the next in a string of abortion malpractice deaths by doctors J. W. Elsiminger and Richard E. Thacker.

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On April 25, 1997, twenty-two-year-old Nicole Williams became the third patient known to have died of abortion complications under the dubious care of Dr. Robert Crist. The others were Latachie Veal and Diane Boyd.

Nichole submitted to a first-trimester abortion at Reproductive Health Services in St. Louis, Missouri, that day. Reproductive Health Services, a National Abortion Federation member facility, is operated by Planned Parenthood of St. Louis. Crist serves as medical director.

During the abortion, Nichole began to have difficulty breathing. Crist completed the abortion, then had staff summon an ambulance. Nichole was rushed to Barnes-Jewish Hospital. She died later that day, leaving behind three children.

Nichole's death was officially attributed to disseminated intravascular coagulopathy (DIC). Hers is the only case I've ever read of linking DIC with first-trimester abortion. Local prolifers remain sceptical about the reports of DIC, and say that they believe Nichole's uterus was ruptured.

Just as Nichole was the third death I've identified for Crist, she was also the third death I've identified for RHS. Diane Boyd's fatal abortion had been performed there, and fourteen-year-old Sandra Kaiser committed suicide after a 1984 abortion at RHS, performed without her mother's knowledge or consent.