Indictment handed down in Laura Smith abortion death

Dr. Rapin Osathanondh was indicted today on a charge of manslaughter in the death of 22-year-old Laura Hope Smith. Laura was declared dead September 13, 2007 at Cape Cod Hospital in Hyannis after going into cardio-respiratory arrest during a safe, legal abortion procedure performed at Osathanondh's office, which he called Women’s Health Center, in Hyannis. Osathanondh has already surrendered his license to practice medicine in order to halt -- and prevent public disclosure about -- a medical board investigation into Laura's death. Osathanondh had Laura under general anesthesia for her abortion, but was assisted only by a medically-untrained receptionist.

Laura's mother, Eileen Smith, told Operation Rescue West that a Sheriff's Deputy from another county provided Osathanondh and his staff with CPR training after Laura's death, then backdated the session to a date prior to Laura's death, with the full knowledge that someone had recently died at the facility. Osathanondh and his staff had been not been certified in CPR at the time of Laura's fatal abortion. Eileen has filed a complaint in Bristol County against the deputy. Laura's family have also filed a lawsuit against Osathanondh in order to bring to light the truth about Laura's death.

Osathanondh is not the first abortionist to have untrained staff assisting with patients under general anesthesia:

Center for Reproductive and Sexual Health (medical director David Gluck) had nobody on staff qualified to administer general anesthesia, resulting in death of "Kelly".

Hanan Rotem had a receptionist with no medical training administering general anesthesia; I have been unable to determine if this was a factor in the death of Gloria Aponte. Rotem was a member of the National Abortion Federation.

Joe Bills Reynolds had the janitor administering general anesthesia in his facility, where Gaylene Golden underwent her fatal abortion.

And even abortionists who have qualified staff have been known to show spectacular incompetence or indifference to unconscious patients, with fatal results:

National Abortion Federation member Atlanta Women's Pavilion managed to fatally injure Deloris Smith by leaving her unattended with her anesthesia drip running while they were resuscitating another patient, who likewise died.

National Abortion Federation member Atlanta Surgi-Center left Catherine Pierce unattended in the recovery room while recovering from an abortion under anesthesia.

Dr. Alan Kline at Eastern Women's Center (another National Abortion Federation member) failed to administer enough anesthesia to 13-year-old Dawn Ravenelle; when she started to choke, he put a breathing tube and left her unattended to lapse into a fatal coma. Venus Ortiz suffered a similar death after an abortion at Eastern performed by Dr. Leiber.

Deanna Bell, also only 13 years old, was given a massive overdose of Brevitol anesthesia for her abortion by Steve Lichtenberg (a frequent speaker at National Abortion Federation Risk Management Seminars), then delayed and inadequate efforts to resuscitate her failed to save her life.

Staff at Medical Care Center in New Jersey failed to notice Deborah Ann Lozinski's respiratory difficulty, resulting in coma and death.

Staff at Maryland's notorious Hillview abortion mill just knocked Debra Gray out, then left her to the care of Gideon Kioko, who slogged ahead with the abortion even after she started having respiratory distress. Pretty much the same thing befell Suzanne Logan at Hillview.

No fewer than four physicians failed to perform CPR on Diane Watson when she stopped breathing during her abortion at Hedd Surgi-Center in Chicago.

Donna Heim had told staff at Her Medical Clinic that she had asthma, but they went ahead with general anesthesia anyway, killing her.

Staff at Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta didn't even bother to intubate Jacqueline Reynolds for her general anesthesia, then failed to give her adequate oxygen.

CRASH -- Center for Reproductive and Sexual Health, the abortion clinic whose records were used to "prove" to the U.S. Supreme Court that outpatient abortion is perfectly safe -- not only failed to properly medicate, monitor, and resuscitate "Kelly" -- they charted her as "pink, responsive, alert" when she was actually in full cardio-respiratory arrest and therefore technically already dead.

Paramedics discovered that nobody had made any attempt to perform CPR on Patricia King when she stopped breathing during an abortion at Dean Diment's "clinic" in Oklahoma City.

Scott Barrett's unique method of achieving a quiet, unconscious abortion patient -- overdosing them on Lidocaine local anesthetic -- killed Stacy Ruckman.

Moshe Hachamovitch and his staff shunted Tanya Williamson off to the inadequately monitored recovery room while she was still under general anesthesia, resulting in her death.

For more abortion deaths, visit the Cemetery of Choice:



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