Saturday, September 27, 2008

More Born Alive Babies

This time I searched my files for "infant" rather than "baby", as I did last time. And remember that these are just the babies whose births were caused by an attempt to abort them, and doesn't include babies that survived early abortions and continued to gestate to a more viable age. (Codes after entries are references to my source documents, which are somewhere in the attic. If you know of links to such documents, please let me know.)

A deposition of a former employee of Dr. Ronachai Banchaonmonie states an infant aborted alive was placed on a tray, covered, and allowed to die. (418 - summary)

Dr. Jesse Floyd was indicted on charges of illegal abortion and murder in the death of a 2 lb 5 oz infant boy of approximately 27-28 weeks gestation who survived 20 days following a third-trimester abortion performed in Richland Memorial Hospital, South Carolina in September of 1974. The state dropped the charges due to reluctance of the infant's mother to testify and Floyd challenging the constitutionality of the abortion law. Floyd said that he had no reason to believe that the fetus was over 20 weeks gestation, but also said he selected prostaglandin to induce the abortion in an effort not to harm the fetus -- an odd assertion, since he'd been paid to kill the baby in question. (The Columbia State 8-29-75, 8-30-75; Indictment for Murder 43590; Omaha World-Herald 10-19-79; Philadelphia Inquirer 8-2-81; New York Times 3-6-79)

Ruth Ann S. was sent to Detroit Memorial for an abortion performed October 3, 1984 by Dr. Enrique Gerbi. There, saline was injected to kill the fetus. At 12:30 AM on October 4, Ruth Ann delivered a live infant girl, that she named Vanessa. The hospital did not have a NICU, and did not transfer Vanessa to another hospital for NICU care. Little Vanessa was "left to languish without the care of an obstetrician and/or a pediatrician." Vanessa suffered brain damage, required heart surgery due to saline damage, and required surgery "to relieve hydrocephalic conditions produced by the result of the salt injection." The baby suffered blindness, mental retardation, severe scarring and burning of her feet, growth retardation, and "Lack of coordination, ambulation and other dysfunctions not yet manifest." The suit also charged Jack Ryan, President/Chief Medical Officer, with failing to "require the checking of the eleven malpractice suits in claims filed against [Gerbi]I," and with failing to require Gerbi "to present evidence of knowledge and skill" for performing abortions. The suit also faulted the hospital with failing "to require that physical evaluations would be made on patients to determine the gestational age of the fetus before an effort was made to kill the same by abortion techniques," failing to have arrangements for care of live-born infants after abortion, and failure to have Gerbi placed under adequate supervision. (Wayne County Circuit Court Case No. 85-529757)

Dr. Martin Haskell is a National Abortion Federation member who provided training on D&X abortions (aka Partial Birth Abortion), performed 20 weeks and beyond, in which live fetus is extracted feet first but the brain is suctioned out just before the head emerges. (Nurse Brenda Pratt Shaffer describes the procedure here.) An Associated Press article dated December 11, 1989, says that a witness who allegedly observed 17 other procedures told police one infant girl of 21 or 22 weeks gestation had emerged alive before the procedure had been completed, and survived approximately 20 minutes, on September 21, 1989. The police did not prosecute because it was the student observer's word against Haskell's. Haskell claimed that her complaint was a personal attack because he does abortions, but the student said, "I don't want this to sound like I'm a freak antiabortionist. I don't want to sound like a radical," and noted that she had gotten permission to observe abortions because she would like to be nurse or doctor specializing in abortions. Another of Haskell's patients went to a hospital between phases of one of his D&X procedures, where she gave birth to a premature infant who later died.

Nicolette C., sixteen years old, was subjected to the first two days of an illegal third-trimester abortion, without parental consent, by Dr. Douglas Karpan at Women's Pavillion in Houston. Nicolette repeatedly stated that she did not wish to go through with the abortion, and requested a referral to a doctor to help her to complete the pregnancy. Both Karpan and his associate, Richard Cunningham, refused to remove the laminaria that were endangering Nicolette's baby. When she refused to undergo the final phase of the abortion, she was told "to look in the yellow pages for an anti-abortion group," made to sign a release form, and ejected from the facility. Nicolette sought emergency care, but hospital doctors were unable to stop labor. She gave birth to an infant girl, Ashley, who survived only six months due to extreme prematurity.

Dr. C. J. LaBenz was charged with unlawful abortion and criminal neglegence in 1979. Allegations are that he estimated a gestational age of 19 to 20 weeks prior to initiating an abortion on September 6, 1979. The woman expelled an infant boy who weighed approximately 2.5 pounds, indicating a gestational age closer to 27 weeks. A nurse involved with the abortion testified that the infant was placed on a sink drain board in what she described as a "dirty utility room." The baby moved his arms and legs, and cried intermittently. The nurse said that the baby's breathing appeared to be normal. LaBenz reportedly took no action to kill the baby, but he also took no action to allow the child's life to be saved. The neglected infant died after 2 1/5 hours. (Omaha World-Herald 10-9-79, 10-12-79, 10-13-79, 10-19-79, 11-12-79, 11-25-79, 10-10-80, Associated Press 10-10-79, 11-15-79, 12-14-79, 12-15-79, 12-28-79, Lincoln Star 10-12-79, 10-31-79.) According to coverage by the Omaha World Herald, February 8, 1980, and Associated Press coverage, February 7 and 15, 1980, Planned Parenthood Federation of America provided "financial and moral support" for LaBenz during his trial for allowing the baby to die.

An article in the August 2, 1981 Philadelphia Inquirer states that in July of 1974, Dr. Leonard E. Laufe initiated an abortion at West Penn Hospital. The woman had been turned down at another hospital after gestation had been estimated at 26-31 weeks. Laufe estimated gestation at 20-22 weeks and injected the woman with prostaglandin. Laufe was filming the procedure for educational purposes. The film showed a 3-pound live-born infant, which moved and gasped. The infant subsequently died, but no charges were filed. Laufe contended the infant had sustained fatal injuries during the procedure.

Carol P. filed suit after her ordeal. She was examined by employees at Portland Feminist Women's Health Center on June 24, 1985. Staff estimated Carol's pregnancy at 13-15 weeks. Carol returned for an ultrasound on June 26 by John Wayne Loomis, and she was instructed to return on June 28. She returned on June 29, and was informed pregnancy was 16 weeks. After two unsuccessful attempts by Dr. Gilda Lorensen to abort the pregnancy by suction, Carol was transferred to a hospital where physicians discovered that the fetus was actually of 29-30 weeks gestation. They transferred Carol to Bess Kaiser Hospital, where an infant girl, Brandi Nycole, was delivered by C-section the following day. Brandi suffered bruises and lacerations, and was abraded "from her left shoulder blade to her anus and leg." She also had "extensive abrasions, lacerations, wounds and pain to her right shoulder, side, back, buttocks, rectum and legs." Brandi was hospitalized 5.5 weeks, during which time she suffered "respiratory distress syndrome, infections, apnea and jaundice." ( Multnomah County Circuit Court Case No. A8605 03177)

Dr. Fred H. Pulver voluntarily surrendered his medical license at the age of 79 in the wake of allegations regarding his January 18, 1990 attempt to perform an abortion on a woman who gave birth to a three-pound, 27-week baby boy five days later. Pulver said that the woman was obese and had deliberately misstated her last menstrual period in order to get the abortion. Pulver had estimated the pregnancy as 11 weeks. Planned Parenthood Health Services of Northeastern New York, where the abortion was attempted, did not have an ultrasound to verify estimated gestational age. (Schenectady Daily Gazette 11-1-91, 11-5-91, Sunday Times-Union 11-24-91, 12-8-91)

An August 2, 1981 article in the Philadelphia Inquirer said that in April of 1973, Dr. Xavier Hall Ramirez initiated a saline abortion at Greater Bakersfield Hospital. The patient expelled a live 4.5 pound infant. Nurses called Ramirez, who ordered them to discontinue the oxygen they were giving the baby. Another doctor countermanded that order, and the infant survived to be adopted. Ramirez was indicted for solicitation to commit murder.

Dr. Joseph Rucker (scroll down) reportedly examined 14-year-old Cecelia G. Rucker, estimated her pregnancy as 14 weeks, and tried to perform a suction abortion on her on January 26, 1977. Cecelia began to hemorrhage, and was transported to a hospital by car. There, a doctor examined her, and discovered she was 7 months pregnant. She was released, but returned days later. Her infant girl was born February 1, with a 2-inch piece of her scalp missing. ( Detroit Free Press 11-14-82; The Abortion Profiteers)

Dr. Herbert Schreiber reportedly committed suicude on July 18, 1976, one month after being charged with first degree murder and illegal abortion after reportedly strangling to death an infant girl who had survived abortion. (1828)

"Taranda," age 17, went to Family Planning Clinic for Reproductive Health for an abortion on December 22, 1989. Dr. Karen J. Smiley estimated the pregnancy at 6 weeks and performed an abortion. Four days later, Taranda gave birth to a one pound, critically ill infant girl in a hospital corridor. Taranda's lawyer said, "She's devastated, obviously. She would never have dreamed of having an abortion had she known it was 26 weeks old." Taranda needed psychiatric care after her ordeal. (The Tennessean 3-15-90; Today's Tennessean 2-2-90; Associated Press 1-11-90, 1-26-90, 1-29-90)

Tommy Tucker's former employee, Joy Davis, alleged that he crushed a live infant's skull with forceps after it survived an abortion. (New York Times 4-23-94)

An August 2, 1981 article in the Philadelphia Inquirer noted that in February of 1979, a 1 lb. 11 oz. baby girl was born at Inglewood Hospital following a saline abortion. Staff there supposedly summoned a rescue team from Harbor General Hospital, but the team didn't respond. The baby died.

According to The Abortion Profiteers, an illegal abortion was attempted at Michigan Avenue Medical Center in 1978. The teenage patient was 26-29 weeks pregnant. The hospital where the girl was taken for emergency treatment reported the incident to the health department. The baby was born prematurely on October 2, 1978.

According to an August 2, 1981 article in The Philadelphia Inquirer, a woman went to Mt. Sinai Hospital in Cleveland for an abortion. The infant was born live. A source told the newspaper, "The doctors had a very hard time making her realize she had a child. She kept saying, 'But I had an abortion.'" The infant was discharged in the care of its mother.

A suit by patient L.H. alleged that she underwent an abortion by Dr. Alan Beer at Planned Parenthood of Mid-Michigan on July 16, 1985. No ultrasound was performed to determine gestational age. Beer ruptured the amniotic sac, then referred Harat to University of Michigan Medical Center, where five days later she gave birth to a 2 lb. 3 1/2 oz premature infant boy of approximately 25-29 weeks gestation. The infant, named Bryan, suffered developmental delay, intracranial bleeding, hydrocephalus, and disfigurement.. (Washtenaw County Circuit Court Case No. 85-30344 NM)

The August 2, 1981 Philadelphia Inquirer said that in the spring of 1979, two infants were born live at Wilmington Medical Center after saline abortions. Both survived to be adopted. The first infant was placed in a plastic specimen jar and rescued by a nurse who noted that baby was struggling for breath and had a heartbeat. The second infant was immediately determined to be alive and given help.



(If you want to post the video on your web site, there's a button at the top of the video screen that gives you the embed code.)

For more information, see:

  • More Born Alive Babies and Their Fates
  • Obama, Babies, and the Benefit of the Doubt
  • Obama and the Born Alive Babies

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