Two More Safe-n-Legal Deaths

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.

Dawn Mack, age 21, had an abortion performed at National Abortion Federation member facility Eastern Women's Center August 2, 1991. While at Eastern, Dawn went into cardiorespiratory arrest. The suit said that Eastern's 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 her to no avail. She died August 3. The suit contended that negligence in hiring and supervising staff, lack of emergency equipment and training, and failure to properly evaluate and monitor Dawn were all preventable factors in her 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." Eastern Women's Center also performed the fatal abortions of Dawn Ravenell and Venus Ortiz.