Monday, February 11, 2008

Anniversary: Brittany's abortion nightmare

Nabil Ghali was a seedy abortionist in Florida before moving to Ohio, where he worked at Academy Medical Center. The most detailed description of his behavior at Academy is in a lawsuit by a 17-year-old girl I'll call "Brittany." Brittany said that she had an abortion done by Ghali at Academy on February 11, 1991, when she was 23 weeks pregnant. The skull of the fetus was left inside her body, and she hemorrhaged. She was transferred by ambulance to a hospital for a transfusion and surgery.

Another doctor’s review of the case called Brittany's treatment "far below the standard of care that is customary in any area of this country." He cites the following deficiencies: "There is essentially no note and no details of what was done in order to perform this abortion. It appears from reading the entire chart ... that some type of suction or extraction utilized in order to terminate the pregnancy. The patient had a uterus that was 22 to 24 weeks in size. This type of maneuver in a uterus that size is dangerous, and life threatening." He added, "In an attempt to remove the fetal parts, the uterus was ruptured and the head extruded into the abdominal cavity. The rupture and the following consequences...were certainly all part of a horrible chain of events which demonstrate the severe departure from any acceptable standard of care. ... The patient was sent to St. Luke's Hospital and apparently no written information was provided in the transfer... The patient was in severe distress. ... She required immediate stabilization, transfusions, and from the notes provided by St. Luke's Hospital, there did not seem to be a thorough understanding of what had happened in the abortion clinic. ... It is my opinion that this entire case demonstrates a severe life-threatening departure from all acceptable standards of medical care..." Ghali had no medical malpractice insurance since 1986, and moved for an order preventing Brittany from discovering his financial status. (Cleveland Free Times, January 20-26, 1993; Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas Case No. 230925)

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