Anniversary: Cervical laceration in legal abortion turns fatal

Cycloria Vangates died on St. Patrick's Day of 1976, four days after undergoing a safe, legal abortion performed by Dr. Paul Glassman. Cycloria had suffered a cervical laceration. The Florida Board of Osteopathic Medicine found that Glassman failed to adequately treat Cycloria's injury. Glassman paid out $386,875 to Cycloria's survivors, according to a malpractice liability search.

Glassman's license was finally revoked for three years beginning in 1981. He later recovered his license on the condition that he undergo close supervision and not perform any more abortions. Glassman moved to Missouri, but his attorney revealed to the Florida Board of Osteopathic medical Examiners that Glassman performed 17 abortions while visiting in Fort Lauderdale, in an effort to prove that the ban against Glassman performing abortions was unnecessary.



For more on pre-legalization abortion, see The Bad Old Days of Abortion

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