On August 31, 1910, Mrs. Ellen Shirah, age 34, died in Augustano Hospital in Chicago from an abortion that had been performed the previous day at her home.
The coroner's jury determined that a doctor had been responsible, but did not identify who.
Note, please, that with overall public health issues such as doctors not using proper aseptic techniques, lack of access to blood transfusions and antibiotics, and overall poor health to begin with, there was likely little difference between the performance of a legal abortion and illegal practice, and the aftercare for either type of abortion was probably equally unlikely to do the woman much, if any, good. For more information about early 20th Century abortion mortality, see Abortion Deaths 1910-1919.
Monday, August 31, 2009
What real astroturfing looks like
Government-issued Health Care Bill propaganda: The presidency devolves into a neverending campaign
In a nutshell, those of us who oppose the Obamacare drive are not only going to pay for it with our tax dollars, we're apparently already paying for the drive to ram it down our throats.
Every John or Jane Q Public who is taking time off work, and paying $3 for a piece of poster board and a set of magic markers to make a sign expressing his or her true sentiments, is also paying for the bussed-in professional protesters and their mass-produced signs shouting down the real sentiments.
And then we're accused of astroturfing.
I might add, in the wake of the Craigslist recruiting, that for the Lefties, protesting often IS their job.
In a nutshell, those of us who oppose the Obamacare drive are not only going to pay for it with our tax dollars, we're apparently already paying for the drive to ram it down our throats.
Every John or Jane Q Public who is taking time off work, and paying $3 for a piece of poster board and a set of magic markers to make a sign expressing his or her true sentiments, is also paying for the bussed-in professional protesters and their mass-produced signs shouting down the real sentiments.
And then we're accused of astroturfing.
“How come,” I asked Andy, “whenever someone upsets the Left, you see immediate marches and parades and rallies with signs already printed and rhyming slogans already composed, whereas whenever someone upsets the Right, you see two members of the Young Americans for Freedom waving a six-inch American Flag?”
“We have jobs.” said Andy.
-P. J. O’Rourke
I might add, in the wake of the Craigslist recruiting, that for the Lefties, protesting often IS their job.
Sunday, August 30, 2009
Obamacare advisor Emanuel on rationing health care
Obama's Health Rationer-in-Chief
Emanuel wants to spend the bulk of our health care dollars not on the sick or injured -- the people most in need of health care. He wants to spend the bulk of our health care dollars on people in the prime of life. He justifies this with a cold utilitarianism. In a Juanuary 31, 2009 piece in The Lancet, Emanuel and his co-authors present a "complete lives system" for allocating health care resources.
Kids in particular earn Emanuel's scorn as a total waste of health care dollars, a philosophy he justifies by saying, "Adolescents have received substantial education and parental care, investments that will be wasted without a complete life. Infants, by contrast, have not yet received these investments. . . . As the legal philosopher Ronald Dworkin argues, 'It is terrible when an infant dies, but worse, most people think, when a three-year-old dies and worse still when an adolescent does,' this argument is supported by empirical surveys."
So don't come to Dr. Emanuel with your sick baby, any more than you'd come to him with your sick grandmother or your disabled brother.
This man is a key advisor on Obamacare. And those of us who fear rationing are "ignorant" and "angry".
Damned right we're angry. Because we're not ignorant.
Dr. Emanuel says that health reform will not be pain free, and that the usual recommendations for cutting medical spending (often urged by the president) are mere window dressing. As he wrote in the Feb. 27, 2008, issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA): "Vague promises of savings from cutting waste, enhancing prevention and wellness, installing electronic medical records and improving quality of care are merely 'lipstick' cost control, more for show and public relations than for true change."
Emanuel wants to spend the bulk of our health care dollars not on the sick or injured -- the people most in need of health care. He wants to spend the bulk of our health care dollars on people in the prime of life. He justifies this with a cold utilitarianism. In a Juanuary 31, 2009 piece in The Lancet, Emanuel and his co-authors present a "complete lives system" for allocating health care resources.
Kids in particular earn Emanuel's scorn as a total waste of health care dollars, a philosophy he justifies by saying, "Adolescents have received substantial education and parental care, investments that will be wasted without a complete life. Infants, by contrast, have not yet received these investments. . . . As the legal philosopher Ronald Dworkin argues, 'It is terrible when an infant dies, but worse, most people think, when a three-year-old dies and worse still when an adolescent does,' this argument is supported by empirical surveys."
So don't come to Dr. Emanuel with your sick baby, any more than you'd come to him with your sick grandmother or your disabled brother.
This man is a key advisor on Obamacare. And those of us who fear rationing are "ignorant" and "angry".
Damned right we're angry. Because we're not ignorant.
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Alice Bowlsby: The Trunk Murder Victim
A striking contrast to modern attitude toward abortion deaths is the story of Alice Bowlsby -- the Trunk Murder Victim, whose pitiful corpse was found 138 years ago today.
In contrast to most criminal abortion deaths, where I was lucky if I could find a name and an approximate date of death, I found an embarrassment of riches when researching Alice's death, including pictures of Alice, the abortionist, and the discovery of her body. Evidently Alice was the Natalee Holloway of her day -- the pretty, young, white, blonde, blue-eyed crime victim whose story was the relentless lead in every media outlet. Her death roused such outrage that abortion laws were toughened all over the country -- including, ironically, a change in New York law that the abortionist's attorney cleverly used to get his conviction overturned on a technicality, freeing him one year into his seven-year sentence.
With our propensity for naming legislation after the victim whose tragic tale prompted their passage, most of the abortion laws that were struck down by Roe vs. Wade could be called "Alice's Law". And by striking them down, the Supreme Court abolished not only Alice's Laws, but any public outrage over abortion butchery. Only prolifers are outraged anymore. The Guardians of Women's Lives no longer jeer at the abortionist who kills his patient. They no longer demand his head on a pike and cry out in solidarity with his victim. They ignore the dead woman and rally to the defense of the man who killed her.
How times have changed!
In contrast to most criminal abortion deaths, where I was lucky if I could find a name and an approximate date of death, I found an embarrassment of riches when researching Alice's death, including pictures of Alice, the abortionist, and the discovery of her body. Evidently Alice was the Natalee Holloway of her day -- the pretty, young, white, blonde, blue-eyed crime victim whose story was the relentless lead in every media outlet. Her death roused such outrage that abortion laws were toughened all over the country -- including, ironically, a change in New York law that the abortionist's attorney cleverly used to get his conviction overturned on a technicality, freeing him one year into his seven-year sentence. With our propensity for naming legislation after the victim whose tragic tale prompted their passage, most of the abortion laws that were struck down by Roe vs. Wade could be called "Alice's Law". And by striking them down, the Supreme Court abolished not only Alice's Laws, but any public outrage over abortion butchery. Only prolifers are outraged anymore. The Guardians of Women's Lives no longer jeer at the abortionist who kills his patient. They no longer demand his head on a pike and cry out in solidarity with his victim. They ignore the dead woman and rally to the defense of the man who killed her.
How times have changed!
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
1980: Trash bag aftercare kills woman
On August 23, 1980, 26-year-old Betty Damato went to Dr. James Franklin in Denver, Colorado, for a safe, legal abortion. According to Betty's family, Franklin did not remove all of the fetus. He instead gave Betty a trash bag, and instructions to collect whatever she expelled in the bag and bring it to him.
Two days later, Betty was dead from infection.
Franklin told a grand jury that he did not perform the fatal abortion. He claimed that he had examined Betty, found a dead fetus, and sent her to the hospital. A jury convicted him of manslaughter in Betty's death on October 19, 1981, and he was sentenced to prison for three years.
For more abortion deaths, visit the Cemetery of Choice:
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Two days later, Betty was dead from infection.
Franklin told a grand jury that he did not perform the fatal abortion. He claimed that he had examined Betty, found a dead fetus, and sent her to the hospital. A jury convicted him of manslaughter in Betty's death on October 19, 1981, and he was sentenced to prison for three years.
For more abortion deaths, visit the Cemetery of Choice:
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A great one from Cracked.com
6 B.S. Facts about Psychology that Everybody Believes (Warning: Coarse language)
Among the "facts" our Cracked writer calls out --
"If you let your anger out, you'll feel better." This psychobabble myth is probably responsible for a huge chunk of violent crime in this country, including domestic violence and road rage.
"Just believe in yourself, and you'll succeed!" This mantra has left a lot of kids emotionally crippled and is another contributing factor to violent crime. Nobody's quite as likely to lash out as somebody with artificially inflated "self esteem" whose bubble has been burst.
Among the "facts" our Cracked writer calls out --
"If you let your anger out, you'll feel better." This psychobabble myth is probably responsible for a huge chunk of violent crime in this country, including domestic violence and road rage.
"Just believe in yourself, and you'll succeed!" This mantra has left a lot of kids emotionally crippled and is another contributing factor to violent crime. Nobody's quite as likely to lash out as somebody with artificially inflated "self esteem" whose bubble has been burst.
Monday, August 24, 2009
CNN: 5 Freedoms You'll Lose Under Obamacare
HT: Stones Cry Out:
Here's a particularly telling quote from CNN:
"CNN Money" Lists 5 Freedoms You’ll Lose Under "ObamaCare"
By Doug
No, you read that right. It’s not Fox News reporting this; it’s CNN. Even if you believe Fox News Channel is the broadcast arm of the Vast Right-Wing Conspiracy, you don’t have that excuse to hand-wave this away.
The article is here, but here’s just the main list of items:
1. Freedom to choose what’s in your plan
2. Freedom to be rewarded for healthy living, or pay your real costs
3. Freedom to choose high-deductible coverage
4. Freedom to keep your existing plan
5. Freedom to choose your doctors
CNN details how these freedoms will be lost, in spite of protestations from Obama and his backers. These freedoms would be lost in either of the two main bills; one in the House and one in the Senate.
This is not just about covering folks who don’t have insurance, and millions of whom indeed don’t want insurance. It’s about government control of the industry.
Here's a particularly telling quote from CNN:
In short, the Obama platform would mandate extremely full, expensive, and highly subsidized coverage -- including a lot of benefits people would never pay for with their own money -- but deliver it through a highly restrictive, HMO-style plan that will determine what care and tests you can and can't have.
1955: The body in the morgue
On August 24, 1955, the body of a young woman identified as Shirley Silver was brought to the morgue in Philadelphia from the North Philadelphia apartment of bartender Milton Schwarts and his beautician wife, Rosalie. The young woman, they said, had suddenly taken ill and collapsed while sitting on a sofa in their living room. But when machinations began to try to remove the young woman's body without an autopsy, her real identity was revealed, and a scandal rocked the city.
The dead woman was Doris Jean Silver Ostreicher, a 22-year-old heiress. Doris had made front page news when she eloped in a "fairy tale romance" with Earl Ostreicher, a 29-year-old motorcycle cop from Miami Beach, in late June of 1955. Ostreicher was the son of a Chicago fuel dealer. He held that he'd not known that his beautiful red-haired bride was wealthy. She'd told him, he said, that her father was a butcher, not vice president of the Food Fair chain of grocery stores.
But fairy tale romances don't always lead to fairy tale marriages. Within a few weeks, Doris evidently was disillusioned, and had separated from her husband, returning to her family's Philadelphia home.
On August 23 and 24, Doris' mother, Gertrude Silver, had taken her daughter to an obstetrician, Dr. Jacob Hoffman. Mrs. Silver had been "very unhappy" about the possibility that her daughter was pregnant. Hoffman himself was not certain that Doris was pregnant, since at that time a 6-week pregnancy was difficult to definitively diagnose.
Hoffman didn't indicate that Mrs. Silver was seeking an abortion for Doris, but seek one she did, taking her to the Schwartz's apartment on August 24. Somebody had used some sort of instrument, augmented with some "vegetable compound" to try to induce an abortion. Within an hour, Doris reported feeling unwell, along with chest pains. She collapsed and died. Her pregnancy, along with the attempt to abort the baby, was confirmed at autopsy. She had died from collapsed lungs and overwhelming shock.
When police searched the Schwartz apartment, they found abortion instruments there, including syringes, medications, dry mustard, absorbent cotton, mineral oil, and olive oil, along with a metal tube that was believed to be the fatal instrument in Doris' abortion.
Rosalie Schwartz had tried to claim that she and her husband had known the Silver family for at least ten years, but Doris' father, Herman, indicated that he'd never seen or heard of either of the Schwartzes.
The Schwartzes pleaded no contest for their role in the young woman's death. Rosalie got a sentence of indeterminate length, while Milton was sentenced to 3-10 years. Both were paroled after 11 months, based on a "pathetic" letter from their gown son asking that his parents be freed in time for Christmas.
Doris' mother, who was hospitalized for "bereavement shock" in the early days after her daughter's death, was charged as an accessory. She was fined and given a suspended sentence for her role in her daughter's death. The judge said that he considered the memory of how her daughter had died "substantial punishment."
Doris' abortion was unusual in that it was performed by amateurs, rather than by a doctor, as was the case with perhaps 90% of criminal abortions.
For more on pre-legalization abortion, see The Bad Old Days of Abortion
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The dead woman was Doris Jean Silver Ostreicher, a 22-year-old heiress. Doris had made front page news when she eloped in a "fairy tale romance" with Earl Ostreicher, a 29-year-old motorcycle cop from Miami Beach, in late June of 1955. Ostreicher was the son of a Chicago fuel dealer. He held that he'd not known that his beautiful red-haired bride was wealthy. She'd told him, he said, that her father was a butcher, not vice president of the Food Fair chain of grocery stores.
But fairy tale romances don't always lead to fairy tale marriages. Within a few weeks, Doris evidently was disillusioned, and had separated from her husband, returning to her family's Philadelphia home.
On August 23 and 24, Doris' mother, Gertrude Silver, had taken her daughter to an obstetrician, Dr. Jacob Hoffman. Mrs. Silver had been "very unhappy" about the possibility that her daughter was pregnant. Hoffman himself was not certain that Doris was pregnant, since at that time a 6-week pregnancy was difficult to definitively diagnose.
Hoffman didn't indicate that Mrs. Silver was seeking an abortion for Doris, but seek one she did, taking her to the Schwartz's apartment on August 24. Somebody had used some sort of instrument, augmented with some "vegetable compound" to try to induce an abortion. Within an hour, Doris reported feeling unwell, along with chest pains. She collapsed and died. Her pregnancy, along with the attempt to abort the baby, was confirmed at autopsy. She had died from collapsed lungs and overwhelming shock.
When police searched the Schwartz apartment, they found abortion instruments there, including syringes, medications, dry mustard, absorbent cotton, mineral oil, and olive oil, along with a metal tube that was believed to be the fatal instrument in Doris' abortion.
Rosalie Schwartz had tried to claim that she and her husband had known the Silver family for at least ten years, but Doris' father, Herman, indicated that he'd never seen or heard of either of the Schwartzes.
The Schwartzes pleaded no contest for their role in the young woman's death. Rosalie got a sentence of indeterminate length, while Milton was sentenced to 3-10 years. Both were paroled after 11 months, based on a "pathetic" letter from their gown son asking that his parents be freed in time for Christmas.
Doris' mother, who was hospitalized for "bereavement shock" in the early days after her daughter's death, was charged as an accessory. She was fined and given a suspended sentence for her role in her daughter's death. The judge said that he considered the memory of how her daughter had died "substantial punishment."
Doris' abortion was unusual in that it was performed by amateurs, rather than by a doctor, as was the case with perhaps 90% of criminal abortions.
For more on pre-legalization abortion, see The Bad Old Days of Abortion
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Sunday, August 23, 2009
Is "Stupid is as stupid does" still permitted by the Nanny State?
Quangos blackball ... oops, sorry ... veto ‘racist’ everyday phrases
Among the forbidden phrases: black sheep, black day, right-hand man, master bedroom, or the verb "to master".
So is "ethnic minority".
THERE IS NO RIGHT NEVER TO BE OFFENDED, OKAY?
I used to have to drive past a billboard I found offensive beyond words. But it was the right of the abortion proponents to put it up and the right of the billboard company to allow them to purchase space to advertise their opinion that it helps families to if you kill some of the kids in-utero. Offensive to the max. But I'll defend to the death their right to say it.
This tyranny of the thin-skinned has got to end.
Among the forbidden phrases: black sheep, black day, right-hand man, master bedroom, or the verb "to master".
So is "ethnic minority".
THERE IS NO RIGHT NEVER TO BE OFFENDED, OKAY?
I used to have to drive past a billboard I found offensive beyond words. But it was the right of the abortion proponents to put it up and the right of the billboard company to allow them to purchase space to advertise their opinion that it helps families to if you kill some of the kids in-utero. Offensive to the max. But I'll defend to the death their right to say it.
This tyranny of the thin-skinned has got to end.
Preach it, brother! A veteran speaks out to his congresscritter
(HT: NewsBusters)
This is worth quoting in its entirety:
My name is David, and I'm from Camas, Washington.
First of all, I want to let everybody know since this is the thing tonight that I'm a Marine Corps vet. (Applause) And like you I did swear an oath to defend my Constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic. (Applause)
I heard you say tonight about educating our children, indoctrinating our children, whatever you want to call it. Stay away from my kids! (Wild applause)
I also heard you say that you're gonna let us keep our health insurance. Well, thank you! It's not your right to decide whether or not I keep my current plan or not. That's my decision! (Wild applause and cheering)
Now I've heard recently in the media you and some other people on the national political stage call us brown shirts because we oppose you.
(Congresscritter denies this then says he apologized, which apology David accepts)
Let me remind you. A little history lesson. The Nazis were the national socialist party. They were leftists. They took over the finance. They took over the car industry. They took over health care in that country. (Applause)
If Nancy Pelosi wants to find a swastika, maybe the first place she should look is the sleeve of her own arm. (Wild cheering and applause)
What I want to know is -- As a Marine, as a disabled veteran that served his country, I've kept my oath. Do you ever intend to keep yours? (Standing ovation)
Right now I'd say the Constitution has far more domestic enemies than foreign ones. They're called "Congress".
And here is Mr. Hedrick's statement given later about his speech:
"I, David William Hedrick, a member of the silent majority, decided that I was not going to be silent anymore. So, I let U.S. Congressman Brian Baird have it. I was one questioner out of 38, that was called at random from an audience that started at 3,000 earlier in the evening. Not expecting to be called on, I quickly scratched what I wanted to say on a borrowed piece of paper and with a pen that I borrowed from someone else in the audience minutes before I spoke. So much for the planned talking points of the right wing conspiracy."
Such an obvious point that it never occurred to me to raise before: What kind of government "of the people, by the people, for the people" has the audacity to think we should be grateful that we're going to be given permission to keep our health care plans?
And watch the pit bulls in the MSM descend on him like they did on Joe the Plumber. If there's anything they hate, it's somebody who really speaks truth to power.
UPDATE: Join us in DC on September 12! Just say No to the Nanny State!
Saturday, August 22, 2009
Air America Radio: Obama cutting secret deals with drug companies
Watch and listen. It looks at what Obama said, and compares that to what he's been doing.
I'm not floored that this is happening. I'm floored that it's Air America Radio that's bringing it to light. And host Christiane Brown called The One "a charming liar".
Here's some of what Political Byline had to say:
They do have a point, he did make all of those promises, and now they have turned on them. ....
....
.... What is really shocking is this; the very people that worked to elect Barack Obama are the very ones that are now turning on him; The Far Left! This video is a perfect example of that fact. Not to mention the many self-proclaimed “Independent’s” that voted for him as well. They are in full out retreat mode away from this President. ....
President Barack Obama during the 2008 election made some of the most outlandish statements that I have ever heard during an election. Of the good majority of them; anyone that is dealing with half of a deck, (So to speak) knew that The President had no intention of fulfilling these promises. I would literally laugh aloud at times, when this President would say the stuff that He did. The real troubling part is; people actually lapped it up like dogs. Especially those on the far left, they were convinced beyond a shadow of a doubt, that this person was the second coming of the liberal Messiah. It seems now, that the Far Left has awoken to the fact that Obama is not the “Hope and Change” prophet, that he said he was during the Campaign and before he took office.
....
.... I also believe that if this Administration and this Congress attempts to ram though this Healthcare bill; that there will a massive revolt among moderate Democrats and Independents and the election cycle of 2010 will be a day of reckoning. On the other side of the coin, if they drop the public option or the bill dies entirely there could be a collapse of the entire base of the Democratic Party. Either way this will be nothing but good for the Republican Party, provided that they run some true Conservatives and not a bunch of indecisive idiots that want to play paddy cake with the other side.
Either way, this coming political season in September is going to be quite interesting.
Nationwide rally against Obamacare Sat., Aug. 22
Rally at your congresscritter's office on Saturday at noon.
We can't trust them with a used car. Now they want to control our health care, our lives, and 1/5 of the US economy.
These are people with a history of getting some cockamamie idea and ramming it through without recognizing the consequences.
Cash for Clunkers destroyed serviceable cars that could have lifted poor families out of welfare. They've hurt salvage yard owners, people who rebuild car parts for a living, charities that depend upon used car donations, and the working poor. And this was just one single idea that was implemented short-term. What will they do with some massive cluster of ideas that they intend to implement permanently?
Never mind if you agree with X, Y, or Z element of Obamacare. Do you want the people who dreamed up Cash for Clunkers running your health care?
Cash for Clunkers Drives Up Used Car Prices
How Cash for Clunkers Cars are Destroyed
Cash for Clunkers Hurts Charaties
Velociworld takes the words right out of my mouth, every expletive-laden one:
And we're supposed to trust them with our health and 1/5 of our economy. I don't think so.
“Giving money and power to government is like giving whiskey and car keys to teenage boys.” -- P.J. O'Rourke
UPDATE: Our local rally got local coverage, because a TV reporter on her way to interview somebody else about a local transit issue drove past us and was curious.
We can't trust them with a used car. Now they want to control our health care, our lives, and 1/5 of the US economy.
These are people with a history of getting some cockamamie idea and ramming it through without recognizing the consequences.
Cash for Clunkers destroyed serviceable cars that could have lifted poor families out of welfare. They've hurt salvage yard owners, people who rebuild car parts for a living, charities that depend upon used car donations, and the working poor. And this was just one single idea that was implemented short-term. What will they do with some massive cluster of ideas that they intend to implement permanently?
Never mind if you agree with X, Y, or Z element of Obamacare. Do you want the people who dreamed up Cash for Clunkers running your health care?
Velociworld takes the words right out of my mouth, every expletive-laden one:
I turned a jaundiced eye toward the Cash For Clunkers program when I first heard of it. It seemed like just another bit of progressive feel-good theater designed to make the ecomaniacs feel splendid about themselves. ....
....
Two things about this program drive me absolutely insane: first, anyone who can afford payments on a new vehicle doesn't need my ... tax dollars to make that happen. ....
Second, and most egregious, is the fact that these "clunkers" are being willfully destroyed to prevent their use forevermore. ....
You poor people who voted for Obama? He just fucked you again. Poor people can't afford $500 car payments even with a $4500 taxpayer bailout. All those "clunkers"? They were traditionally immediately auctioned into the bottom rungs of the used car market. High school and college kids looking for a first car? Poor folk who can only afford a $500 to $1500 car, where the dealer carries the paper and you pay him weekly because your credit resembles that of the Weimar Republic circa 1922? You're boned, Patsy.
It's just like the old trope of burning a village to save it. ....
A government that purposefully destroys perfectly serviceable consumer goods, inexpensive goods that most benefit the poorest and most desperate members of society, is a government gone so .... mad it makes the ravings of tertiary syphilis look wholesome in comparison.
This singular act belies any affectation of good faith, compassion, or humanity this craven and diabolical regime presumes. Barack Obama would rather have poor people beggar a damn ride to work, or walk holes in their shoes, than drive an affordable vehicle that does not meet his arbitrary and capricious definition of environmental friendliness.
I work in a county full of poor country sods, black and white. Almost to a person they drive "clunkers". ....
I suppose King Barack I wants them to ride public transportation. Well, they don't have ... buses in the country, or the small towns. That's an urban construct designed to help enslave the city proles. Hamlet proles need a cheap car, you miserable wretches.
....
And we're supposed to trust them with our health and 1/5 of our economy. I don't think so.
“Giving money and power to government is like giving whiskey and car keys to teenage boys.” -- P.J. O'Rourke
UPDATE: Our local rally got local coverage, because a TV reporter on her way to interview somebody else about a local transit issue drove past us and was curious.
Friday, August 21, 2009
1923: Denver woman dies, doc on city council arrested
On August 21, 1923, 32-year-old Catherine Stange died in Denver of septicemia due to an abortion blamed on Dr. Daniel R. Lucy. This was quite the scandal, since in addition to being a doctor, Lucy was a city councilman.
His high position also meant that he was given warning of his pending arrest for second degree murder, to give him time to arrange bail.
Lucy's only comment to the press after being told of the charge against him was to note that he was not surpirsed, that this was what he had expected from the coroner's jury.
He was later acquitted of the charges.
Keep in mind that things that things we take for granted, like antibiotics and blood banks, were still in the future. For more about abortion in this era, see Abortion in the 1920s.
For more on pre-legalization abortion, see The Bad Old Days of Abortion
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His high position also meant that he was given warning of his pending arrest for second degree murder, to give him time to arrange bail.
Lucy's only comment to the press after being told of the charge against him was to note that he was not surpirsed, that this was what he had expected from the coroner's jury.
He was later acquitted of the charges.
Keep in mind that things that things we take for granted, like antibiotics and blood banks, were still in the future. For more about abortion in this era, see Abortion in the 1920s.
For more on pre-legalization abortion, see The Bad Old Days of Abortion
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1929: Ill-explained death touted by NOW
According to the National Organization for Women web site, Ruth Irene Friedl was a married, 27-year-old mother of two. NOW's site said that pregnancy was life-threatening for Ruth, but they don't specify why, nor do they say why she was denied an abortion despite her health problems. NOW says that Ruth drank ergot apiol, an herbal abortifacient, on August 21, 1929. That night, according to NOW, Ruth collapsed at the dinner table in front of her husband and children, and died on the spot.
I'd welcome any verifying information on Mrs. Friedl's death. After all, NOW also claims that Becky Bell died from complications of an illegal abortion, when in fact she died of pneumonia concurrent with a miscarriage. (There was no evidence that Becky's pregnancy had been tampered with in any way.) But if people who think abortion is a good idea want to blame Ruth's death on abortion, I'll let them claim her as somebody their ideology killed.
If NOW's story is true, Ruth's abortion was unusual in that it was self-induced rather than performed by a doctor, as was the case with perhaps 90% of criminal abortions.
For more on pre-legalization abortion, see The Bad Old Days of Abortion
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I'd welcome any verifying information on Mrs. Friedl's death. After all, NOW also claims that Becky Bell died from complications of an illegal abortion, when in fact she died of pneumonia concurrent with a miscarriage. (There was no evidence that Becky's pregnancy had been tampered with in any way.) But if people who think abortion is a good idea want to blame Ruth's death on abortion, I'll let them claim her as somebody their ideology killed.
If NOW's story is true, Ruth's abortion was unusual in that it was self-induced rather than performed by a doctor, as was the case with perhaps 90% of criminal abortions.
For more on pre-legalization abortion, see The Bad Old Days of Abortion
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Thursday, August 20, 2009
An amazing story of an unsung hero
This is not one of those "[very loosely] based on a true story" movies like "Braveheart". This really freaking happened.
Anybody who has ever benefitted from heart surgery -- their own or a loved one's -- owes a debt of gratitude to an obscure southern Black carpenter with the unlikely name Vivien, on the payroll of Johns Hopkins as a janitor. This is a staggering story.
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Why was this woman even free, much less allowed unsupervised visitation?
The mother of the 8-year-old Idaho boy, who had been missing until he was found dead -- and who has been charged in his death -- had served only 39 days of work release for fracturing the skull of another of her children.
Missing Idaho Boy's Disappearance 'Suspicious,' Police Say
She was still on probation for cracking the other child's skull. He was removed from her custody by the state, but was still permitted unsupervised visitation with Robert. Let me repeat that. This woman was on probation for deliberately slamming her baby's head against something hard enough to fracture the skull, yet she was allowed unsupervised visitation with the now-dead child.
Whoever made that decision ought to face criminal charges for willful endangerment, at least. Or if it was some sort of oversight, the agency that lost track of the fact that this woman, who was clearly a life-threatening danger to children, needs to be held accountable. And whoever let her off with probation and 39 days of work release is on my shit list as well.
And something is amiss with Robert's father. This is the second child of his to be murdered. Another of his sons was stabbed to death by his own mother. This man ought to go out and have himself sterilized before he reproduces with any more of these violent women. And what say did he have in this woman being allowed unsupervised visits after she'd proved herself to be violent toward children?
What the hell went wrong here?
Missing Idaho Boy's Disappearance 'Suspicious,' Police Say
She was still on probation for cracking the other child's skull. He was removed from her custody by the state, but was still permitted unsupervised visitation with Robert. Let me repeat that. This woman was on probation for deliberately slamming her baby's head against something hard enough to fracture the skull, yet she was allowed unsupervised visitation with the now-dead child.
Whoever made that decision ought to face criminal charges for willful endangerment, at least. Or if it was some sort of oversight, the agency that lost track of the fact that this woman, who was clearly a life-threatening danger to children, needs to be held accountable. And whoever let her off with probation and 39 days of work release is on my shit list as well.
And something is amiss with Robert's father. This is the second child of his to be murdered. Another of his sons was stabbed to death by his own mother. This man ought to go out and have himself sterilized before he reproduces with any more of these violent women. And what say did he have in this woman being allowed unsupervised visits after she'd proved herself to be violent toward children?
What the hell went wrong here?
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Strange bedfellows? Where are the insurance companies on Obamacare?
Why Are Democrats Pretending They're Fighting Giant Insurance Companies?
According to John Lott, insurance companies and pharmaceutical companies have cut sweetheart deals to ensure that they profit from Obamacare.
Politics do make strange bedfellows.
I can see the pharmaceutical companies horning in on this pretty readily -- more covered people means more drug sales. People who are currently opting out of insurance, if forced into a plan, might well go for a prescription cough syrup or pain reliever when they'd have otherwise gone OTC. And Lott said that the insurance companies get to administer Obamacare.
Hm....
According to John Lott, insurance companies and pharmaceutical companies have cut sweetheart deals to ensure that they profit from Obamacare.
Politics do make strange bedfellows.
I can see the pharmaceutical companies horning in on this pretty readily -- more covered people means more drug sales. People who are currently opting out of insurance, if forced into a plan, might well go for a prescription cough syrup or pain reliever when they'd have otherwise gone OTC. And Lott said that the insurance companies get to administer Obamacare.
Hm....
1901: Chicago woman dies, female doc held by coroner's jury
Mrs. George W. Robinson, age 28, died at her Chicago home on August 18, 1901, from an abortion performed there that day. Dr. Muenster was arrested that day, and she was held by the Coroner's Jury. Mrs. Robinson's abortion was typical of pre-legalization abortions in that it was performed by a physician.
Note, please, that with overall public health issues such as doctors not using proper aseptic techniques, lack of access to blood transfusions and antibiotics, and overall poor health to begin with, there was likely little difference between the performance of a legal abortion and illegal practice, and the aftercare for either type of abortion was probably equally unlikely to do the woman much, if any, good. For more about abortion and abortion deaths in the first years of the 20th century, see Abortion Deaths 1900-1909.
For more on pre-legalization abortion, see The Bad Old Days of Abortion
To email this post to a friend, use the icon below.
Note, please, that with overall public health issues such as doctors not using proper aseptic techniques, lack of access to blood transfusions and antibiotics, and overall poor health to begin with, there was likely little difference between the performance of a legal abortion and illegal practice, and the aftercare for either type of abortion was probably equally unlikely to do the woman much, if any, good. For more about abortion and abortion deaths in the first years of the 20th century, see Abortion Deaths 1900-1909.
For more on pre-legalization abortion, see The Bad Old Days of Abortion
To email this post to a friend, use the icon below.
Monday, August 17, 2009
1978: Abortion at clinic owned by erstwhile criminal abortionist proves fatal
Marina DeChapell, age 34, went to the Miami abortion facility at 620 SW 1st Street for a safe and legal six to eight week abortion on August 17, 1978. Eduardo F. Elias administered Valium and Xylocaine for the abortion.
Immediately after the procedure, Elias noticed that Marina was not breathing. He initiated CPR and an emergency team was summoned. The ambulance crew found Marina with no signs of life.
Although the medical examiner did not attribute Marina's death directly to the abortion, police noted that the clinic, owned by Luis Barquet, was not equipped with any emergency equipment other than an air bag.
For more abortion deaths, visit the Cemetery of Choice:
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Immediately after the procedure, Elias noticed that Marina was not breathing. He initiated CPR and an emergency team was summoned. The ambulance crew found Marina with no signs of life.
Although the medical examiner did not attribute Marina's death directly to the abortion, police noted that the clinic, owned by Luis Barquet, was not equipped with any emergency equipment other than an air bag.
For more abortion deaths, visit the Cemetery of Choice:
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1971: Safe and lethal
"Vicki" is one of the women Life Dynamics identifies on their "Blackmun Wall" as having been killed by a safe and legal abortion. Vicki was 23 years old when she underwent an abortion in New York state. She was 20 weeks pregnant. Saline was injected into her uterus to begin the abortion. The next day, she began to show signs of infection. She expelled her dead fetus but her condition did not improve. On August 17, she died of sepsis.
For more abortion deaths, visit the Cemetery of Choice:
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For more abortion deaths, visit the Cemetery of Choice:
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Sunday, August 16, 2009
An offer I don't trust
In preparation for playing Captain Jack Sparrow in "Pirates of the Carribean", Johnny Depp went out and got a mouthful of gold teeth. Michael Eisner pitched a fit and wanted the gold teeth gone. So Depp negotiated away a few of the gold teeth.
But he'd gotten more gold teeth than he'd wanted in the first place, so he would have, as he put it, "a few to negotiate with". He ended up with exactly the gold teeth he'd wanted for Jack Sparrow in the first place.
That's what this smells like to me:
Town Halls Having an Impact? White House Bends on Health Care Provision in Face of Discontent
The main difference, of course, is that Depp only tinkered with his own teeth, and had no agenda other than the way he wanted a movie character to look. And face it, Johnny Depp certainly can be trusted in things like that.
This is not, however, about people tinkering with their own teeth and their own careers. This is about people I don't trust any further than I could spit them tinkering with our very lives, in addition to a fifth of our economy. This is about people who are so clueless about real people's needs that they're proud of destroying cars that could have lifted poor families out of welfare.
I don't trust them. This smells of chicanery. Agreeing to that "health care" bill is going to be at best a Faustian bargain.
When you sell your soul, you never get what you're actually promised in return.
But he'd gotten more gold teeth than he'd wanted in the first place, so he would have, as he put it, "a few to negotiate with". He ended up with exactly the gold teeth he'd wanted for Jack Sparrow in the first place.
That's what this smells like to me:
Town Halls Having an Impact? White House Bends on Health Care Provision in Face of Discontent
The main difference, of course, is that Depp only tinkered with his own teeth, and had no agenda other than the way he wanted a movie character to look. And face it, Johnny Depp certainly can be trusted in things like that.
This is not, however, about people tinkering with their own teeth and their own careers. This is about people I don't trust any further than I could spit them tinkering with our very lives, in addition to a fifth of our economy. This is about people who are so clueless about real people's needs that they're proud of destroying cars that could have lifted poor families out of welfare.
I don't trust them. This smells of chicanery. Agreeing to that "health care" bill is going to be at best a Faustian bargain.
When you sell your soul, you never get what you're actually promised in return.
Saturday, August 15, 2009
1909: Teen dead, doc and wife implicated
On August 15, 1909, Lillian Swing, age 15, died in Chicago from an abortion performed on August 9. Dr. Hamilton Shaver and his wife were held by the coroner's jury. The source document doesn't indicate that the case went to trial.
Note, please, that with overall public health issues such as doctors not using proper aseptic techniques, lack of access to blood transfusions and antibiotics, and overall poor health to begin with, there was likely little difference between the performance of a legal abortion and illegal practice, and the aftercare for either type of abortion was probably equally unlikely to do the woman much, if any, good. For more about abortion and abortion deaths in the first years of the 20th century, see Abortion Deaths 1900-1909.
For more on pre-legalization abortion, see The Bad Old Days of Abortion
To email this post to a friend, use the icon below.
Note, please, that with overall public health issues such as doctors not using proper aseptic techniques, lack of access to blood transfusions and antibiotics, and overall poor health to begin with, there was likely little difference between the performance of a legal abortion and illegal practice, and the aftercare for either type of abortion was probably equally unlikely to do the woman much, if any, good. For more about abortion and abortion deaths in the first years of the 20th century, see Abortion Deaths 1900-1909.
For more on pre-legalization abortion, see The Bad Old Days of Abortion
To email this post to a friend, use the icon below.
Friday, August 14, 2009
1984: One of a half-dozen dead at Inglewood Women's Hospital
Yvonne Tanner, a 22-year-old mother of a young daughter, had a safe and legal abortion performed by Stephen Pine and/or Morton Barke July 10, 1984 at Inglewood Women's Hospital.
Yvonne went into a coma immediately after the abortion, and died August 14, 1984. Her death certificate indicates coma, hypertension, and urinary tract infection.
The suit by her survivors alleged that Yvonne was not adequately advised of the risks prior to undergoing the fatal abortion.
The other women who met their deaths at Inglewood include Kathy Murphy, Lynette Wallace, Elizabeth Tsuji, Cora Lewis, and Belinda Byrd.
For more abortion deaths, visit the Cemetery of Choice:
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Yvonne went into a coma immediately after the abortion, and died August 14, 1984. Her death certificate indicates coma, hypertension, and urinary tract infection.
The suit by her survivors alleged that Yvonne was not adequately advised of the risks prior to undergoing the fatal abortion.
The other women who met their deaths at Inglewood include Kathy Murphy, Lynette Wallace, Elizabeth Tsuji, Cora Lewis, and Belinda Byrd.
For more abortion deaths, visit the Cemetery of Choice:
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1994: "Natural" abortion leaves young woman dead
"Having control over her own body and her own reproductive cycle is something she desired." -- friend who recommended fatal concoction
Kris Humphrey placed a high value on "self-determination" and doing things "naturally." These values led her to choose the herbal abortion that ended her life on August 14, 1994.
Kris had undergone a clinic abortion previously, but hadn't liked the experience. According to a friend, she found the procedure painful and the staff indifferent. Kris, said the friend, thought the staff at Planned Parenthood "treated her like she was doing something wrong, something she should be ashamed of" for choosing abortion.
Her stepbrother's death two years earlier due to an allergic reaction to a painkiller also led her to distrust modern medicine, said Kris's family.
Kris used herbal remedies for minor ailments, so she already had ideas about where to go for information on an herbal abortion. She consulted friends. One of Kris's friends said she'd done more than one self-induced abortion and recommended an abortion technique from Wise Woman Herbal, by Susun Weed. The method relied on a tea of pennyroyal extract and black cohosh root, both readily available in health-food stores. Both were well known as herbal abortifacients. In fact, an album by the Yeastie Girlz included a pennyroyal abortion recipe in the liner notes.
On August 5, Kris started the abortion regimen.
Over the approximately 10 days Kris was taking the tea, she went about her buisness, socializing with friends and family. Kris experienced abdominal pain and cramping, which she took as signs that the abortion was going as planned. Neither Kris nor her friend who recommended the tea thought anything was wrong at first.
The only person who was concerned was her mother, Embee. The two attended a movie together on August 7, and Kris told her mother about the pregnancy and about her herbalist plans. Embee, who'd suffered through an ectopic pregnancy herself, saw something familiar in the way Kris was holding her side from pain. She asked Kris if she was sure that the pregnancy was normal, not ectopic, but her daughter evaded the question.
Instead, Kris told her mother that the abortion should be complete on the 9th, and that she'd call then. But Kris continued to experience problems and continued to take the abortion concoction.
By Friday, August 12, Kris had given up on her herbal abortion plan. Embee and a friend offered to pay for her to have the abortion done at Planned Parenthood on the 13th. But when one of Kris's many housemates came home at 7:30 on Friday evening, she found Kris pale and feverish, and learned that she'd been vomiting. She continued to suffer chills, cramps, and vomiting for the next six hours.
Her condition continued to deteriorate. She passed out at around 11 p.m. Her friends continued to try to care for her, placing her in a cold bath at about 2 a.m Saturday to try to address her feverish sweating. But Kris just went into a seizure, so her friends carried her to the kitchen. One of them noticed that she wasn't breathing and started screaming. One friend called 911 while another attempted to perform CPR on the kitchen floor.
The paramedics arrived at 2:27 a.m and found Kris pulseless. They managed to resuscitate her enroute to the hospital, where emergency room staff put her on a ventilator and tried to stabilize her.
Her friends told staff about the abortion, and even brought the bottles of pennyroyal and black cohosh. The staff had no idea what effects the herbs might be having on Kris, and called poison control.
Kris was in shock and suffering from disseminated intravascular coagulopathy. "She was bleeding from everywhere," said a doctor who treated her. "She was even bleeding from all the places she was pierced--her nose, her mouth, her brow, her labia. Everywhere."
Doctors suspected an ectopic pregnancy, but feared doing exploratory surgery because Kris's condition was so fragile. While they were just done with a CAT scan at around 9:00 Saturday morning, Kris went into cardiac arrest. Staff used a defibrillator several times in addition to multiple IV lines to revive her. After half an hour, her heart finally started beating again. But despite all the IV fluids, she still had no blood pressure.
In desperation, the doctors proceeded with surgery, finding an unruptured right tubal pregnancy that was bleeding from the end of the fallopian tube. The doctors removed the pregnancy and "significant quantity of old blood which was malodorous."
Even though the tube hadn't ruptured, it appeared that the effect of the pennyroyal on Kris's liver had caused the clotting problems that had led to her excessive internal bleeding.
After surgery, Kris showed no signs of responsiveness. She was declared brain dead on Sunday. Friends and family gathered at the hospital and life support was turned off. Half an hour later, at 4:51 p.m., Kris was declared dead.
Testing on samples of Kris' liver showed that her liver showed signs of damage associated with one of the substances, pulegone, contained in pennyroyal. Not enough is known of the effects of pulegone on the liver to say for sure what effect the damage had on Kris or what role it played in her death.
Kris' divorced parents are united after her death in a lawsuit filed against the pennyroyal manufacturer and the store where Kris likely bought the herbs. The store is called, in a bitter ironic twist, "Bread of Life." They want to see pennyroyal and other herbal remedies labeled with warnings about their possible negative effects.
Kris's friends, on the other hand, blame the health clinic where Kris had her positive pregnancy test. They say that the clinic should have done an ultrasound to check the location of the embryo. But since Kris had no unusual symptoms at the time, and had been given a referral to Planned Parenthood, there really was no reason for the clinic to do such an examination.
Nobody, it seems, is blaming the culture that makes abortion normative and assures young women that it's perfectly safe.
Kris Humphrey placed a high value on "self-determination" and doing things "naturally." These values led her to choose the herbal abortion that ended her life on August 14, 1994.
Kris had undergone a clinic abortion previously, but hadn't liked the experience. According to a friend, she found the procedure painful and the staff indifferent. Kris, said the friend, thought the staff at Planned Parenthood "treated her like she was doing something wrong, something she should be ashamed of" for choosing abortion.
Her stepbrother's death two years earlier due to an allergic reaction to a painkiller also led her to distrust modern medicine, said Kris's family.
Kris used herbal remedies for minor ailments, so she already had ideas about where to go for information on an herbal abortion. She consulted friends. One of Kris's friends said she'd done more than one self-induced abortion and recommended an abortion technique from Wise Woman Herbal, by Susun Weed. The method relied on a tea of pennyroyal extract and black cohosh root, both readily available in health-food stores. Both were well known as herbal abortifacients. In fact, an album by the Yeastie Girlz included a pennyroyal abortion recipe in the liner notes.
On August 5, Kris started the abortion regimen.
Over the approximately 10 days Kris was taking the tea, she went about her buisness, socializing with friends and family. Kris experienced abdominal pain and cramping, which she took as signs that the abortion was going as planned. Neither Kris nor her friend who recommended the tea thought anything was wrong at first.
The only person who was concerned was her mother, Embee. The two attended a movie together on August 7, and Kris told her mother about the pregnancy and about her herbalist plans. Embee, who'd suffered through an ectopic pregnancy herself, saw something familiar in the way Kris was holding her side from pain. She asked Kris if she was sure that the pregnancy was normal, not ectopic, but her daughter evaded the question.
Instead, Kris told her mother that the abortion should be complete on the 9th, and that she'd call then. But Kris continued to experience problems and continued to take the abortion concoction.
By Friday, August 12, Kris had given up on her herbal abortion plan. Embee and a friend offered to pay for her to have the abortion done at Planned Parenthood on the 13th. But when one of Kris's many housemates came home at 7:30 on Friday evening, she found Kris pale and feverish, and learned that she'd been vomiting. She continued to suffer chills, cramps, and vomiting for the next six hours.
Her condition continued to deteriorate. She passed out at around 11 p.m. Her friends continued to try to care for her, placing her in a cold bath at about 2 a.m Saturday to try to address her feverish sweating. But Kris just went into a seizure, so her friends carried her to the kitchen. One of them noticed that she wasn't breathing and started screaming. One friend called 911 while another attempted to perform CPR on the kitchen floor.
The paramedics arrived at 2:27 a.m and found Kris pulseless. They managed to resuscitate her enroute to the hospital, where emergency room staff put her on a ventilator and tried to stabilize her.
Her friends told staff about the abortion, and even brought the bottles of pennyroyal and black cohosh. The staff had no idea what effects the herbs might be having on Kris, and called poison control.
Kris was in shock and suffering from disseminated intravascular coagulopathy. "She was bleeding from everywhere," said a doctor who treated her. "She was even bleeding from all the places she was pierced--her nose, her mouth, her brow, her labia. Everywhere."
Doctors suspected an ectopic pregnancy, but feared doing exploratory surgery because Kris's condition was so fragile. While they were just done with a CAT scan at around 9:00 Saturday morning, Kris went into cardiac arrest. Staff used a defibrillator several times in addition to multiple IV lines to revive her. After half an hour, her heart finally started beating again. But despite all the IV fluids, she still had no blood pressure.
In desperation, the doctors proceeded with surgery, finding an unruptured right tubal pregnancy that was bleeding from the end of the fallopian tube. The doctors removed the pregnancy and "significant quantity of old blood which was malodorous."
Even though the tube hadn't ruptured, it appeared that the effect of the pennyroyal on Kris's liver had caused the clotting problems that had led to her excessive internal bleeding.
After surgery, Kris showed no signs of responsiveness. She was declared brain dead on Sunday. Friends and family gathered at the hospital and life support was turned off. Half an hour later, at 4:51 p.m., Kris was declared dead.
Testing on samples of Kris' liver showed that her liver showed signs of damage associated with one of the substances, pulegone, contained in pennyroyal. Not enough is known of the effects of pulegone on the liver to say for sure what effect the damage had on Kris or what role it played in her death.
Kris' divorced parents are united after her death in a lawsuit filed against the pennyroyal manufacturer and the store where Kris likely bought the herbs. The store is called, in a bitter ironic twist, "Bread of Life." They want to see pennyroyal and other herbal remedies labeled with warnings about their possible negative effects.
Kris's friends, on the other hand, blame the health clinic where Kris had her positive pregnancy test. They say that the clinic should have done an ultrasound to check the location of the embryo. But since Kris had no unusual symptoms at the time, and had been given a referral to Planned Parenthood, there really was no reason for the clinic to do such an examination.
Nobody, it seems, is blaming the culture that makes abortion normative and assures young women that it's perfectly safe.
Thursday, August 13, 2009
1988: Lies to cancer patient lead to fatal abortion
Allegra Roseberry, age 41, had been diagnosed with terminal liver cancer. Allegra was admitted to Emory Hospital for assessment and surgery in anticipation of admission to an experimental cancer treatment program. There, a sonogram during surgery revealed a 23-week pregnancy, much to everyone's surprise since Allegra had undergone fertility drug treatment in order to conceive her son Matthew 20 years earlier. Her liver specialist, family doctor, and gynecologist all failed to detect her pregnancy despite amenorrhea, breast tenderness, distended abdomen, and nausea because these symptoms were attributed to the cancer and other ailments.
Allegra's doctors offered abortion as her only alternative, saying that the fetus was "doomed" due to Allegra's ailments, that the pregnancy would render her ineligible for the experimental treatment, and that the pregnancy was damaging her fragile health and would greatly hasten her death. No one arranged for a consult with a perinatologist or a high-risk obstetrician. The options of continuing the pregnancy and/or premature delivery of the infant were not offered or discussed.
Allegra was transferred to Emory's Crawford Long Hospital for the abortion. Young W. Ahn initiated the abortion by prostaglandin suppository on August 8, 1988. On August 9, Allegra expelled the dead baby, whom she and her husband named Amy Ann.
Allegra developed sepsis from the abortion, and died on August 13. An autopsy revealed that Amy had been normal.
The liver specialist contended that Allegra would have aborted Amy even if she had known the child was healthy in order to be eligible for the experimental program. However, the experimental program had no provision barring pregnant patients; Allegra would have been eligible without submitting to an abortion.
Allegra's gynecologist claimed that the reason for the abortion was damage to the fetus due to radiation therapy, and also mentioned chemotherapy, neither of which Allegra had undergone.
All defendants held that Allegra could not have survived long enough to deliver Amy alive anyway -- despite the fact that, at 23 weeks, Amy was just a week away from viability.
The jury rendered a verdict against the liver specialist for the wrongful death of baby Amy, but returned no verdict for the wrongful death of Allegra due to their assumption that the cancer would have killed her soon anyway. Evidently they did not consider the time she could have spent being a mother to her baby daughter to be of any value.
Allegra's was not the only tragic death caused by doctors who recommended (or excused) abortion as a life-saving or health-preserving option for the mother:
Anjelica Duarte sought an abortion on the advice of her physician, and ended up dying under the care of a quack.
Barbara Hoppert died after an abortion recommended due to a congenital heart problem.
Christin Gilbert died after an abortion George Tiller holds was justified on grounds of maternal health.
Erika Peterson died in 1961 when her doctors obtained her husband's permission to perform a "therapeutic" abortion.
"Molly" Roe died in 1975 when her doctors made the dubious decision to perform a saline abortion to improve her chances of surviving a lupus crisis.
For more abortion deaths, visit the Cemetery of Choice:
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Allegra's doctors offered abortion as her only alternative, saying that the fetus was "doomed" due to Allegra's ailments, that the pregnancy would render her ineligible for the experimental treatment, and that the pregnancy was damaging her fragile health and would greatly hasten her death. No one arranged for a consult with a perinatologist or a high-risk obstetrician. The options of continuing the pregnancy and/or premature delivery of the infant were not offered or discussed.
Allegra was transferred to Emory's Crawford Long Hospital for the abortion. Young W. Ahn initiated the abortion by prostaglandin suppository on August 8, 1988. On August 9, Allegra expelled the dead baby, whom she and her husband named Amy Ann.
Allegra developed sepsis from the abortion, and died on August 13. An autopsy revealed that Amy had been normal.
The liver specialist contended that Allegra would have aborted Amy even if she had known the child was healthy in order to be eligible for the experimental program. However, the experimental program had no provision barring pregnant patients; Allegra would have been eligible without submitting to an abortion.
Allegra's gynecologist claimed that the reason for the abortion was damage to the fetus due to radiation therapy, and also mentioned chemotherapy, neither of which Allegra had undergone.
All defendants held that Allegra could not have survived long enough to deliver Amy alive anyway -- despite the fact that, at 23 weeks, Amy was just a week away from viability.
The jury rendered a verdict against the liver specialist for the wrongful death of baby Amy, but returned no verdict for the wrongful death of Allegra due to their assumption that the cancer would have killed her soon anyway. Evidently they did not consider the time she could have spent being a mother to her baby daughter to be of any value.
Allegra's was not the only tragic death caused by doctors who recommended (or excused) abortion as a life-saving or health-preserving option for the mother:
For more abortion deaths, visit the Cemetery of Choice:
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1986: General anesthesia kills asthmatic patient at abortion mill
Donna Heim, age 20, went to Her Medical Clinic on August 12, 1986, accompanied by her sister. Donna told staff that she had asthma, and she noted this on her forms when she filled them out. Despite this pre-existing condition, a nurse anesthetist administered general anesthesia for her safe and legal abortion. Donna started to have difficulty breathing, but Mahlon Cannon continued with the procedure for five more minutes before helping the nurse anesthetist to try to restore Donna's breathing.
Donna's sister, who was in the waiting room, became alarmed at the intense staff activity she noticed, and questioned a staffer about her sister. She was reassured that Donna was fine. The sister saw an ambulance pull up to the building and stepped outside, where she observed her sister being transferred into the emergency vehicle. Donna's sister followed the ambulance to a nearby hospital, which summoned the comatose young woman's parents.
Donna died the next day without regaining consciousness. An investigation was sparked, and an administrative law judge ruled that Cannon was negligent in continuing with the abortion despite the patient's respiratory distress. The judge also found that Cannon often failed to do medical exams, take medical histories, or administer standard tests prior to abortions.
Liliana Cortez also died after an abortion at Her Medical Clinic that year. The next year, Michelle Thames lost her life in a safe and legal abortion at Her Medical Clinic. And the previous year, 1985, Maria Soto died after being injected with drugs and left unattended.
For more abortion deaths, visit the Cemetery of Choice:
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Donna's sister, who was in the waiting room, became alarmed at the intense staff activity she noticed, and questioned a staffer about her sister. She was reassured that Donna was fine. The sister saw an ambulance pull up to the building and stepped outside, where she observed her sister being transferred into the emergency vehicle. Donna's sister followed the ambulance to a nearby hospital, which summoned the comatose young woman's parents.
Donna died the next day without regaining consciousness. An investigation was sparked, and an administrative law judge ruled that Cannon was negligent in continuing with the abortion despite the patient's respiratory distress. The judge also found that Cannon often failed to do medical exams, take medical histories, or administer standard tests prior to abortions.
Liliana Cortez also died after an abortion at Her Medical Clinic that year. The next year, Michelle Thames lost her life in a safe and legal abortion at Her Medical Clinic. And the previous year, 1985, Maria Soto died after being injected with drugs and left unattended.
For more abortion deaths, visit the Cemetery of Choice:
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1922: One dead patient, two implicated doctors
On August 13, 1922, 21-year-old Beulah Pickerill died at Chicago's Mid West Hospital from complications of a criminal abortion performed there that day.
Two physicians, Vincent Filletti and Michale Galgano, were held by the coroner and indicted for felony murder.
Floy L. Butler and P.J. Owens were held as accessories.
Beulah's abortion was typical of pre-legalization abortions in that it was performed by a physician.
Keep in mind that things that things we take for granted, like antibiotics and blood banks, were still in the future. For more about abortion in this era, see Abortion in the 1920s.
For more on pre-legalization abortion, see The Bad Old Days of Abortion
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Two physicians, Vincent Filletti and Michale Galgano, were held by the coroner and indicted for felony murder.
Floy L. Butler and P.J. Owens were held as accessories.
Beulah's abortion was typical of pre-legalization abortions in that it was performed by a physician.
Keep in mind that things that things we take for granted, like antibiotics and blood banks, were still in the future. For more about abortion in this era, see Abortion in the 1920s.
For more on pre-legalization abortion, see The Bad Old Days of Abortion
To email this post to a friend, use the icon below.
1858: A tragic death, and a contemporary reflection
Ann Regan, "the daughter of a respectable widow" in Knightstown, Indiana, took ill on August 10, 1858. Her condition deteriorated over the next few days. On August 13, she went into a severe convulsion and died.
The next day an autopsy determined that somebody had used instruments to perform an abortion on Ann, resulting in her death.
An article in The Indiana True Republican lamented that Ann had lost her life along with her reputation, her widowed mother had lost her beloved daughter along with her reputation, but "the principal actor" -- the man who got her pregnant -- was seen the day after Ann's burial, "in a company of respectable men, laughing gaily and talking lightly," facing neither grief nor social censure. "Her blood is on his hands; but then you know his fine kid goves will hide all that."
Amen to that.
Interestingly enough, the same article that called for him to be shunned as a murderer never mentioned his name. Though it does seem to assume that his social circle knows of his guilt.
For more on pre-legalization abortion, see The Bad Old Days of Abortion
I have no information on overall maternal mortality, or abortion mortality, in the 19th century. I imagine it can't be too much different from maternal and abortion mortality at the very beginning of the 20th Century.
Note, please, that with overall public health issues such as doctors not using proper aseptic techniques, lack of access to blood transfusions and antibiotics, and overall poor health to begin with, there was likely little difference between the performance of a legal abortion and illegal practice, and the aftercare for either type of abortion was probably equally unlikely to do the woman much, if any, good.
For more on this era, see Abortion Deaths in the 19th Century.
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The next day an autopsy determined that somebody had used instruments to perform an abortion on Ann, resulting in her death.
An article in The Indiana True Republican lamented that Ann had lost her life along with her reputation, her widowed mother had lost her beloved daughter along with her reputation, but "the principal actor" -- the man who got her pregnant -- was seen the day after Ann's burial, "in a company of respectable men, laughing gaily and talking lightly," facing neither grief nor social censure. "Her blood is on his hands; but then you know his fine kid goves will hide all that."
Amen to that.
Interestingly enough, the same article that called for him to be shunned as a murderer never mentioned his name. Though it does seem to assume that his social circle knows of his guilt.
For more on pre-legalization abortion, see The Bad Old Days of Abortion
I have no information on overall maternal mortality, or abortion mortality, in the 19th century. I imagine it can't be too much different from maternal and abortion mortality at the very beginning of the 20th Century.
Note, please, that with overall public health issues such as doctors not using proper aseptic techniques, lack of access to blood transfusions and antibiotics, and overall poor health to begin with, there was likely little difference between the performance of a legal abortion and illegal practice, and the aftercare for either type of abortion was probably equally unlikely to do the woman much, if any, good.
For more on this era, see Abortion Deaths in the 19th Century.
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Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Two Obamacare stories worth reading
Fortune Editor Breaks With CNNers On ObamaCare; Details Freedoms Lost, Inevitable State Control. Oh, you'll get to keep your current satisfactory health care plan, all right. Until there's any change in it (like adding or deleting coverage for a specific drug), or at the 5-year-mark, depending on what category your present coverage falls under.
Will Media Investigate Astroturf Recruitment At Craigslist? Hell, no! It's pro-Obamacare astroturfing, which is A-OK because it's something they support.
Will Media Investigate Astroturf Recruitment At Craigslist? Hell, no! It's pro-Obamacare astroturfing, which is A-OK because it's something they support.
Spokane PP overbilled Medicaid hundreds of thousands of dollars
Planned Parenthood Spokane Slapped with $700,000 Bill from Audit:
HT: Suzy B
Planned Parenthood of Spokane (PPS) has been caught overbilling Medicaid for condoms, charging for contraceptives without a prescription, "unbundling" abortion claims, and claiming patients were having doctor visits when they were just picking up a prescription.
....
The audit found 5 categories of overbilling:
1) Numerous examples of billing Medicaid for oral contraceptives either without any underlying prescription for the drugs, or where the prescription was completely invalid, e.g., "Continue with drug XYZ".
2) Many cases where male condoms were billed at some nicely rounded up price instead of the actual acquisition price, as has been required since 2003. For example, in some cases they billed Medicaid $3.00 where the invoices clearly showed that PPS paid $0.84. In other cases, they billed $2.00 where the invoice showed the acquisition price was $0.56.
3) Unbundling post-abortion antibiotics and billing them to Medicaid under Family Planning, which is strictly prohibited.
4) Billing office visits to pick up a prescription or get an injection as "Evaluation and Management" -- a sit-down consult with a doctor or ARNP, and which have a higher reimbursement rate, in some cases double.
5) Billing for pregnancy tests which were done when the client never even suspected she was pregnant, and without any indication of medical necessity.
....
The audit didn't address the question of whether these practices were going on prior to 2004, or after 2007, including up to the present, or the question of whether it was systematic and intentional, thus rising to the level of fraud.
HT: Suzy B
1923: Fatal abortion by Chicago nurse or midwife
On August 11, 1923, 26-year-old Martha Byzynski died at Chicago's St. Mary's Hospital from an abortion performed that day.
The coroner named Jane Worchowski as the person responsible. Worchowski's profession is given as nurse or midwife.
Keep in mind that things that things we take for granted, like antibiotics and blood banks, were still in the future. For more about abortion in this era, see Abortion in the 1920s.
The coroner named Jane Worchowski as the person responsible. Worchowski's profession is given as nurse or midwife.
Keep in mind that things that things we take for granted, like antibiotics and blood banks, were still in the future. For more about abortion in this era, see Abortion in the 1920s.
Monday, August 10, 2009
Clemency for Clunkers
Clemency for Clunkers
The director of a charity that depends on donations of used cars is asking the government to commute the death sentences of the cars currently slated for destruction under "Cash for Clunkers". These cars could provide a source of money for charity, and job-sustaining transportation for the poor. Which are, as we've seen, two areas that CfC supporters don't really give a happy shit about.
The director of a charity that depends on donations of used cars is asking the government to commute the death sentences of the cars currently slated for destruction under "Cash for Clunkers". These cars could provide a source of money for charity, and job-sustaining transportation for the poor. Which are, as we've seen, two areas that CfC supporters don't really give a happy shit about.
Pay attention to the details
Michigan crowd vents health care fury
"Rep. John D. Dingell, a Democrat and a lead author of health care legislation in the House," was confronted by Mike Sola, whose 36-year-old son has cerebral palsy. Solo voiced angry opposition to Obamacare on the grounds that it would deny health care to his son due to his disability.
Now, pay careful attention:
Did you see it? In case you missed it, look again:
Obamacare, as originally drafted, would have denied care for this man. Somebody had to go in and amend it so that people like Mr. Sola, who have cerebral palsy, would be able to get care.
And it said that the bill would provide care for the younger Mr. Sola's condition. Specifically, cerebral palsy.
Which people with disabilities remain excluded?
Would you or somebody you love be excluded?
Our federal government can't be trusted with a used car. Do we really want our lives in their hands?
"Rep. John D. Dingell, a Democrat and a lead author of health care legislation in the House," was confronted by Mike Sola, whose 36-year-old son has cerebral palsy. Solo voiced angry opposition to Obamacare on the grounds that it would deny health care to his son due to his disability.
Now, pay careful attention:
In his confrontation with Mr. Sola, Mr. Dingell said an amendment to his House bill would provide care for the younger Mr. Sola's condition....
Did you see it? In case you missed it, look again:
In his confrontation with Mr. Sola, Mr. Dingell said an amendment to his House bill would provide care for the younger Mr. Sola's condition....
Obamacare, as originally drafted, would have denied care for this man. Somebody had to go in and amend it so that people like Mr. Sola, who have cerebral palsy, would be able to get care.
And it said that the bill would provide care for the younger Mr. Sola's condition. Specifically, cerebral palsy.
Which people with disabilities remain excluded?
Would you or somebody you love be excluded?
Our federal government can't be trusted with a used car. Do we really want our lives in their hands?
1988: Dead patient charted as "pink, responsive, alert"
Center for Reproductive and Sexual Health ("CRASH") was the model abortion clinic -- a review of their earliest patient records, published by Bernard Nathanson, played a key role in "proving the safety of legal outpatient abortion."
On August 10, 1988, 19-year-old K.B. (due to confidentiality, the public record documents do not give the patient's name) was given anesthesia for a safe, legal 14-week abortion. Since Life Dynamics calls her "Kelly" on their "Blackmun Wall" of women killed by abortion, I will refer to her as Kelly as well.
Shortly after the procedure, she showed signs of distress, but emergency measures were not instituted for almost an hour. Kelly was transported to Cabrini Medical Center where she was pronounced dead from complications of anesthesia.
After Kelly's death, the health department investigated and found a mystery: Kelly's chart listed her post-operative condition as "pink, responsive, alert," even though she had gone into full cardio-respiratory arrest by the time indicated on the assessment. They learned that the note had been entered into the chart before the abortion was even performed.
The inspectors noted that CRASH "did not employ proper monitoring equipment or procedures," "had no working EKG machine," and didn't have a cardiac defibrillator. They noted that no one on staff was qualified to perform CPR. No one on staff was qualified to administer anesthesia, and they did not use proper procedures or equipment. Anesthesia was administered "by eye," with no means of accurately measuring the dose. Dosage was estimated to be twice that recommended in the procedure manual.
The operating rooms were found to be ill-lit, and there was no soap or paper towels at the scrub sink. The scrub sinks were stained, the walls and floors dirty, trash was stored in the scrub room. There were red make-up stains on the oxygen masks and nitrous oxide masks, dusty tubing on the suction machines, and blood on the wheels of the operating table.
CRASH had no documentation verifying the credentials or qualifications of medical director David Gluck. Gluck had been previously convicted of felony charges related to the sale of 48,000 Diluadid tablets to pay off gambling debts. His license had actually been revoked two months before K.B.'s death, but had been restored by judicial stay.
There was no evidence at the investigation two weeks after Kelly's death that Gluck had reviewed her chart, or the charts of 18 other patients identified as having suffered complications.
The state closed CRASH for 60 days, but it never re-opened.
Dr. Gluck went on to perform the fatal abortion on Alerte Desanges in 1994.
For more abortion deaths, visit the Cemetery of Choice:
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On August 10, 1988, 19-year-old K.B. (due to confidentiality, the public record documents do not give the patient's name) was given anesthesia for a safe, legal 14-week abortion. Since Life Dynamics calls her "Kelly" on their "Blackmun Wall" of women killed by abortion, I will refer to her as Kelly as well.
Shortly after the procedure, she showed signs of distress, but emergency measures were not instituted for almost an hour. Kelly was transported to Cabrini Medical Center where she was pronounced dead from complications of anesthesia.
After Kelly's death, the health department investigated and found a mystery: Kelly's chart listed her post-operative condition as "pink, responsive, alert," even though she had gone into full cardio-respiratory arrest by the time indicated on the assessment. They learned that the note had been entered into the chart before the abortion was even performed.
The inspectors noted that CRASH "did not employ proper monitoring equipment or procedures," "had no working EKG machine," and didn't have a cardiac defibrillator. They noted that no one on staff was qualified to perform CPR. No one on staff was qualified to administer anesthesia, and they did not use proper procedures or equipment. Anesthesia was administered "by eye," with no means of accurately measuring the dose. Dosage was estimated to be twice that recommended in the procedure manual.
The operating rooms were found to be ill-lit, and there was no soap or paper towels at the scrub sink. The scrub sinks were stained, the walls and floors dirty, trash was stored in the scrub room. There were red make-up stains on the oxygen masks and nitrous oxide masks, dusty tubing on the suction machines, and blood on the wheels of the operating table.
CRASH had no documentation verifying the credentials or qualifications of medical director David Gluck. Gluck had been previously convicted of felony charges related to the sale of 48,000 Diluadid tablets to pay off gambling debts. His license had actually been revoked two months before K.B.'s death, but had been restored by judicial stay.
There was no evidence at the investigation two weeks after Kelly's death that Gluck had reviewed her chart, or the charts of 18 other patients identified as having suffered complications.
The state closed CRASH for 60 days, but it never re-opened.
Dr. Gluck went on to perform the fatal abortion on Alerte Desanges in 1994.
For more abortion deaths, visit the Cemetery of Choice:
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Saturday, August 08, 2009
1975: Safe and lethal
On August 6, 1975, 29-year-old Cheryl Tubbs underwent a saline abortion at Pacific Glen Hospital in Los Angeles County. She experienced heavy vaginal bleeding after this safe, legal abortion, so she was transferred to White Hospital on the evening of August 7.
Cheryl continued to bleed profusely, and twice went into cardiac arrest. Staff performed a paracentesis on her to remove blood and fluids from her abdomen. About an hour after midnight, staff could no longer detect any blood pressure. For an hour they tried heart massage, to no avail. Cheryl was pronounced dead at 2:30AM on August 8.
An autopsy revealed that Cheryl's uterus had ruptured, tearing open and
during the abortion, spilling blood and uterine material into her abdomen. She had bled to death.
Two years later, Jackie Bailey also bled to death from a ruptured uterus caused by a saline abortion at Pacific Glen.
For more abortion deaths, visit the Cemetery of Choice:
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Cheryl continued to bleed profusely, and twice went into cardiac arrest. Staff performed a paracentesis on her to remove blood and fluids from her abdomen. About an hour after midnight, staff could no longer detect any blood pressure. For an hour they tried heart massage, to no avail. Cheryl was pronounced dead at 2:30AM on August 8.
An autopsy revealed that Cheryl's uterus had ruptured, tearing open and
during the abortion, spilling blood and uterine material into her abdomen. She had bled to death.
Two years later, Jackie Bailey also bled to death from a ruptured uterus caused by a saline abortion at Pacific Glen.
For more abortion deaths, visit the Cemetery of Choice:
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Words to Washington
I contacted my congresscritter and Senators today about the impending health care debacle.
Obamacare must be stopped. My friends, family, and co-workers all agree that the last thing we want the Federal government meddling in is our health care, and we especially do not want a government takeover.
We worry that our elderly or disabled loved ones will be denied care. We oppose the inclusion of abortion "services". We imagine the kind of waste and callous disregard for people's real needs that is seen in the "Cash for Clunkers" and other asinine government boondoggles. We can't trust the federal government with a used car. How can we trust them with our health care?
What makes Obamacare doubly frightening is the way the administration is working to silence dissent in a positively stalinesque way.
This drive to seize control of our health care, and to silence concerned citizens, must stop. And I hope you have the courage and decency to stand up for your constituents.
Friday, August 07, 2009
Some more dubious beneficiaries of safe, legal abortion
Today marks three anniversaries (that I, personally, know about):
Ruth Montero, age 23, underwent a safe and legal vacuum abortion of her 8-week pregnancy, under general anesthesia, August 1979, at Women's Care Center in Miami. Ruth awoke from anesthesia in the recovery room, and went into convulsions and cardiopulmonary arrest. She died from hemorrhage, and a prolapsed mitral valve, August 7. Ruth Montero, Myrta Baptiste, Maura Morales, and Shirley Payne all died in a clinic owned by Hipolito Barreiro, trained in Argentina and West Africa, but not licensed in U.S. Barreiro was accused of practicing without a license and tampering with witness.
Mary Ives was 28 when she had an abortion 19 weeks into her pregnancy. She was admitted to W.W. Backus Hospital in Norwich, Connecticut, for treatment of complications of the abortion, but her heart and lungs failed due to amniotic fluid embolism (amniotic fluid that got into Mary's bloodstream). Mary was pronounced dead on August 7, 1983.
Teresa Smith was 31 years of age when she submitted to a D&C abortion in Mississippi. She went into cardio-respiratory arrest from a pulmonary embolism and was pronounced dead at a local hospital on August 7, 1988.
For more abortion deaths, visit the Cemetery of Choice:
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Ruth Montero, age 23, underwent a safe and legal vacuum abortion of her 8-week pregnancy, under general anesthesia, August 1979, at Women's Care Center in Miami. Ruth awoke from anesthesia in the recovery room, and went into convulsions and cardiopulmonary arrest. She died from hemorrhage, and a prolapsed mitral valve, August 7. Ruth Montero, Myrta Baptiste, Maura Morales, and Shirley Payne all died in a clinic owned by Hipolito Barreiro, trained in Argentina and West Africa, but not licensed in U.S. Barreiro was accused of practicing without a license and tampering with witness.
Mary Ives was 28 when she had an abortion 19 weeks into her pregnancy. She was admitted to W.W. Backus Hospital in Norwich, Connecticut, for treatment of complications of the abortion, but her heart and lungs failed due to amniotic fluid embolism (amniotic fluid that got into Mary's bloodstream). Mary was pronounced dead on August 7, 1983.
Teresa Smith was 31 years of age when she submitted to a D&C abortion in Mississippi. She went into cardio-respiratory arrest from a pulmonary embolism and was pronounced dead at a local hospital on August 7, 1988.
For more abortion deaths, visit the Cemetery of Choice:
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Dissent will not be tolerated
White House Vows to Defend Democrats on Health Reform, Will 'Punch Back Twice as Hard'
If you happen to love somebody who is elderly, sickly, or disabled, you might as well contact the Make a Wish foundation and see if you can have one last nice vacation with them before Obamacare gets pushed down our throats. The Final Solution to the people the current administration sees as a waste of resources -- "useless eaters" is I believe the term they're looking for -- is on the way, and anybody who opposes euthanizing Grandma or Tiny Tim will be mowed down in the process. Dissent will not be tolerated.
But hey, they'll probably come up with a great cost-cutting measure! All the antifreeze from the functional cars Cash for Clunkers is destroying is probably being stockpiled so they can administer it intravenously to the "clunkers" among us -- the elderly, the frail, the infirm, the disabled.
Ebeneezer Scrooge summed up best the current administration's attitude toward our medically needy loved ones: Let them die, and decrease the surplus population. And their attitude toward anybody who disagrees with them is to destroy them the way they destroy the "clunkers".
This is the Administration of Destruction. And worse is yet to come.
If you happen to love somebody who is elderly, sickly, or disabled, you might as well contact the Make a Wish foundation and see if you can have one last nice vacation with them before Obamacare gets pushed down our throats. The Final Solution to the people the current administration sees as a waste of resources -- "useless eaters" is I believe the term they're looking for -- is on the way, and anybody who opposes euthanizing Grandma or Tiny Tim will be mowed down in the process. Dissent will not be tolerated.
But hey, they'll probably come up with a great cost-cutting measure! All the antifreeze from the functional cars Cash for Clunkers is destroying is probably being stockpiled so they can administer it intravenously to the "clunkers" among us -- the elderly, the frail, the infirm, the disabled.
Ebeneezer Scrooge summed up best the current administration's attitude toward our medically needy loved ones: Let them die, and decrease the surplus population. And their attitude toward anybody who disagrees with them is to destroy them the way they destroy the "clunkers".
This is the Administration of Destruction. And worse is yet to come.
Wednesday, August 05, 2009
Cash for Clunkers hurts charities, too
‘Cash for Clunkers’ Puts the Brakes on Donations
Is there no end to the ways the government is managing to totally screw over poor people with this sanctimonious boondoggle? Now charities -- that poor people need more than ever now that their work transportation is being scrapped before their disbelieving eyes --are suffering a drop in donated cars that they relied upon for fund raising.
Is there no end to the ways the government is managing to totally screw over poor people with this sanctimonious boondoggle? Now charities -- that poor people need more than ever now that their work transportation is being scrapped before their disbelieving eyes --are suffering a drop in donated cars that they relied upon for fund raising.
Only the government would buy things with OUR money with the intent of trashing them
"Under the program, the government is advising car dealers to replace a trade-in's engine oil with a lethal sodium silicate solution and run the engine to ruin it before giving to selling the car to a scrap dealer."
Does Cash for Clunkers Help the Environment? It's Debatable
Again, these are functional cars. The owner has to demonstrate that the car is functional enough to have been worth insuring for at least the past year.
People are UNEMPLOYED and on welfare because they lack transportation. Transportation that could be provided by cars the government is buying WITH OUR MONEY -- these cars belong to US -- and ordering destroyed. Functional cars that would mean the difference between welfare and independence to a poor family.
What's it doing to the economy to be keeping people on the dole who could be out earning wages? What's the impact going to be on auto salvage businesses?
We know one thing for sure: The people who came up with "Cash for Clunkers" don't give a happy shit about poor people, or people in the unglamorous business of auto salvage. Unless you're a member of the UAW or some other powerful, big-money donating group, you can just rot and die for all they care.
Does Cash for Clunkers Help the Environment? It's Debatable
Again, these are functional cars. The owner has to demonstrate that the car is functional enough to have been worth insuring for at least the past year.
People are UNEMPLOYED and on welfare because they lack transportation. Transportation that could be provided by cars the government is buying WITH OUR MONEY -- these cars belong to US -- and ordering destroyed. Functional cars that would mean the difference between welfare and independence to a poor family.
What's it doing to the economy to be keeping people on the dole who could be out earning wages? What's the impact going to be on auto salvage businesses?
We know one thing for sure: The people who came up with "Cash for Clunkers" don't give a happy shit about poor people, or people in the unglamorous business of auto salvage. Unless you're a member of the UAW or some other powerful, big-money donating group, you can just rot and die for all they care.
Tuesday, August 04, 2009
Anniversary: The Grunas Murder-Suicide
On August 4, 2006, 30-year-old Laura Grunas, a police officer in Plantation, Florida, shot her boyfriend, 31-year-old Robert Peat, dead inside his home. Grunas then turned the gun on herself. The couple had been together for about a year.Neighbors reported that Laura was hysterical the last day of her life, standing outside Peat's garage yelling, "Why is everyone blaming this on me? He killed my baby." The argument became so loud that neighbors called the police.
In what those close to the pair believed to have been a mutual decision, Laura had aborted the couple's baby a few weeks earlier. Michael Roth, a friend of Peat, told police that Peat had been "enormously upset" about the legal abortion. "He was a lot more religious than me and didn't believe in that, but they had felt that that was the right thing to do for whatever reasons."
Peat had called Roth and asked him to come over shortly before the shooting. Roth said that when he arrived, Grunas became upset, saying, "If, when he felt the need to call, did he tell you about killing my baby?"
Peat also called the police, and when two officers arrived, Grunas, a colleague of theirs, became furious. They asked her to leave, and she complied. Peat asked Roth to remain with him, and Roth recommended that Peat get a restraining order. "Thirty seconds after I tried to make that suggestion, his phone started ringing. .... And then she started banging on the front door."
Laura then used a Smith & Wesson 9mm, her work-issued handgun, to shoot out the sliding glass door to the kitchen. Roth, who suffered minor injuries in the incident, fled the kitchen through the shot-out door and called 911.
Laura had been a police officer in Plantation for about five years, and none of her colleagues suspected that she was troubled. But Roth, in whom Peat had confided about the abortion, told investigators that the couple's relationship had been increasingly rocky since the abortion.
For more abortion deaths, visit the Cemetery of Choice:
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1900: Abortion by midwife proves fatal
On August 4, 1900, Mrs. Mary Borglun died in her home from complications of an abortion performed there that day. Mrs. Mary Kempfer was arrested that same day and held without bail by a Coroner's Jury. Kempfer's employment status was listed as nurse or midwife.
Note, please, that with overall public health issues such as doctors not using proper aseptic techniques, lack of access to blood transfusions and antibiotics, and overall poor health to begin with, there was likely little difference between the performance of a legal abortion and illegal practice, and the aftercare for either type of abortion was probably equally unlikely to do the woman much, if any, good. For more about abortion and abortion deaths in the first years of the 20th century, see Abortion Deaths 1900-1909.
For more on pre-legalization abortion, see The Bad Old Days of Abortion
Note, please, that with overall public health issues such as doctors not using proper aseptic techniques, lack of access to blood transfusions and antibiotics, and overall poor health to begin with, there was likely little difference between the performance of a legal abortion and illegal practice, and the aftercare for either type of abortion was probably equally unlikely to do the woman much, if any, good. For more about abortion and abortion deaths in the first years of the 20th century, see Abortion Deaths 1900-1909.
For more on pre-legalization abortion, see The Bad Old Days of Abortion
Monday, August 03, 2009
1991: NAF facility, dead patient
The following information is from a suite filed by the survivors of 21-year-old Dawn Marie Mack.
Dawn had an abortion performed at National Abortion Federation member facility Eastern Women's Center on August 2, 1991. She was attended at Eastern by Orrin Moore, Aurel Calalb, Elena Raftopol, Adel Abadir, Linda Wissbrun and/or Reena Rang. While at Eastern, Dawn went into cardiorespiratory arrest.
The suit said that Easterns staff failed to adequately respond to "the precipitous drop in Plaintiff's blood pressure, cardiac arrhythmia leading to cardiac arrest and cessation of respiration."
Dawn was transported to a hospital by ambulance, where staff tried to resuscitate Dawn to no avail. She died August 3.
The suit contended that the following shortcomings at Eastern caused Dawn's death:
carelessness in hiring staff
negligent supervising of staff
lack of emergency protocol and staff skilled in treating emergencies
lack of adequate equipment
failure to maintain equipment appropriately
failure to administer timely and properly dosed medications
failure to convey to Dawn the risks of anesthesia
failure to adequately evaluate Dawn's condition via exam and medical history prior to anesthesia
failure to allow sufficient time to administer anesthesia and perform the abortion in a safe and careful manner
inadequate staff training
failure to adequately monitor anesthesia
failure to accurately chart and record observations and responses
failure to anticipate potential complications
The suit further contended that "no reasonable person would have undergone the procedures which were performed upon the decedent plaintiff if the level of skills and ability of staff and other medical personnel, together with the amount, kind and condition of equipment on the premises had been disclosed to decedent plaintiff."
Two other abortion patients, Venus Ortiz and Dawn Ravenelle were fatally injured at Eastern Women's Center.
For more abortion deaths, visit the Cemetery of Choice:
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Dawn had an abortion performed at National Abortion Federation member facility Eastern Women's Center on August 2, 1991. She was attended at Eastern by Orrin Moore, Aurel Calalb, Elena Raftopol, Adel Abadir, Linda Wissbrun and/or Reena Rang. While at Eastern, Dawn went into cardiorespiratory arrest.
The suit said that Easterns staff failed to adequately respond to "the precipitous drop in Plaintiff's blood pressure, cardiac arrhythmia leading to cardiac arrest and cessation of respiration."
Dawn was transported to a hospital by ambulance, where staff tried to resuscitate Dawn to no avail. She died August 3.
The suit contended that the following shortcomings at Eastern caused Dawn's death:
The suit further contended that "no reasonable person would have undergone the procedures which were performed upon the decedent plaintiff if the level of skills and ability of staff and other medical personnel, together with the amount, kind and condition of equipment on the premises had been disclosed to decedent plaintiff."
Two other abortion patients, Venus Ortiz and Dawn Ravenelle were fatally injured at Eastern Women's Center.
For more abortion deaths, visit the Cemetery of Choice:
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1982: Mom dies, kids left in the lurch
Angel Dardie, age 22, left two children motherless when she died on August 3, 1982, of disseminated intravascular coagulopathy (a clotting disorder) after a safe, legal saline abortion performed by Youl Choi at Plymouth General Hospital.
Angel's mother sued, saying that the abortion was performed negligently. Although she sued for $5 million, she was awarded a settlement of $6000 from Choi and $2500 from the hospital. $1744 of this went to the attorney, plus an additional $667 given to him from the settlement for his expenses. $1528 of the settlement was ordered to be used to reimburse for funeral expenses. This left Angel's mother and orphans with $4561. No settlement was awarded for pain and suffering, nor was there any settlement for Angel's surviving children.
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Angel's mother sued, saying that the abortion was performed negligently. Although she sued for $5 million, she was awarded a settlement of $6000 from Choi and $2500 from the hospital. $1744 of this went to the attorney, plus an additional $667 given to him from the settlement for his expenses. $1528 of the settlement was ordered to be used to reimburse for funeral expenses. This left Angel's mother and orphans with $4561. No settlement was awarded for pain and suffering, nor was there any settlement for Angel's surviving children.
For more abortion deaths, visit the Cemetery of Choice:
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Sunday, August 02, 2009
1981: Anesthesia screw-up kills mother of 3
Twenty-seven-year-old Robin Wells, mother of three children ages 6, 4, and 2, lost her battle for her life in an Akron hospital on August 2, 1981. She had been in a coma since July 15. On that day, she'd submitted to a safe and legal abortion, under general anesthesia, by Max Gaujean at Akron Center for Reproductive Health. Robin went into cardiac arrest in the recovery room, and was transferred by ambulance to the hospital where she remained in a coma until her death.
Both Gaujean and the anesthesiologist were independent contractors and did not maintain private practices. The suit filed by Robin's survivors alleged that she was overdosed on anesthesia and not properly monitored. It also alleged that staff at Akron Center for Reproductive Health failed "to resuscitate her after her condition had been discovered." The case was settled out of court.
For more abortion deaths, visit the Cemetery of Choice:
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Both Gaujean and the anesthesiologist were independent contractors and did not maintain private practices. The suit filed by Robin's survivors alleged that she was overdosed on anesthesia and not properly monitored. It also alleged that staff at Akron Center for Reproductive Health failed "to resuscitate her after her condition had been discovered." The case was settled out of court.
For more abortion deaths, visit the Cemetery of Choice:
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