Lime 5: Injuries to the Cervix

Deaths I've covered already:

Dr. Jesse Ketchum

Margaret Louise Smith traveled from Michigan to New York for a safe, legal abortion after being told that she'd been exposed to rubella. Her abortion was performed on June 16, 1971 by erstwhile criminal abortionist Jesse Ketchum. He lacerated the entire length of her cervix and the lower segment of her uterus, along with the broad uterine ligament. He took no notice of the injuries until Margaret's boyfriend came to pick her up several hours later. He pleaded with them to call for help, but Margaret was declared dead at the hospital across the street from Ketchum's clinic. Less than six months later Ketchum caused similar fatal injuries to Carole Schaner. 

T.R. Mason Howard

Evelyn Dudley was treated at Dr. T.R. Mason Howard's Friendship Medical Center (Acme Reproductive Services 13) in Chicago on March 16, 1973. Later, at home, she collapsed in the driveway. She was taken to a hospital, where attempts to save her failed. Her death was due to shock, hemorrhage from a ruptured cervix and vagina, from "remote abortion."  Dorothy Brown and Julia Rogers also died after abortions at Friendship.

Shary Graham is the woman whose death Carol Everett recounted in her book, Blood Money. While performing the abortion at Carol's National Abortion Federation member clinic (Acme Reproductive Services 22), Harvey Johnson (John Roe 368) lacerated Shary's cervix. According to Carol, Harvey went home and left Shary, still hemorrhaging, under Carol's care, before instructing his Carol to send her home. Shary bled to death.

   Edward Allred   

Patricia Chacon was only 16 when she went to Edward "Fast Eddie" Allred's Family Planning Associates Medical Group for an abortion on March 3, 1984.  Allred (John Roe 13) himself might have been the one performing Patricia's abortion. She was left with a laceration through her cervix. According to her family, she was then left alone while staff attended to other patients. Patricia bled to death. She shared this fate with other FPA/Allred Abortion Empire patients:  Mary Pena,  Josefina Garcia,  "Kyla Ellis," and Maria Rodriguez. Patients Denise Holmes, Joyce Ortenzio, Tami Suematsu, Susan Levy, Deanna Bell, Christine Mora, Ta Tanisha Wesson, Maria Leho, Kimberly Neil, Nakia Jorden, Chanelle Bryant, Natalie Meyers, and Laniece Dorsey died from other causes.

Sylvia Moore underwent an abortion at the hands of the notorious Dr. Arnold Bickham (John Roe 47) on New Years Eve of 1986. Bickham tore a large laceration in Sylvia's cervix and left the plastic tip of a canula embedded in another tear in her uterus. When Bickham decided it was time for Sylvia to leave, she was already so weak from blood loss that she couldn't even stand up, so Bickham plunked her into a a wheelchair and shoved her out the door to bleed to death. Though Bickham's treatment of Sylvia was so appalling that the medical examiner ruled her death a homicide, no action was taken against Bickham for his treatment of the teen.

  Katrina Poole    

Katrina Poole was 16 when she went to A Woman's Choice, aka A Jacksonville Women's Health Center. During the abortion, Dr. Herman Miller noted that he had suctioned out far more placental tissue than expected. Instead of reassessing the method he'd chosen, he simply kept going, estimating that Katrina had actually been 22 weeks pregnant. That evening Katrina took a prescribed medication, kissed her mother goodnight, and went to bed. Katrina's family evidently went to wake her in the morning and found her dead. She had bled to death from a torn cervix and ruptured uterus.

Mary Ann Dancy

Mary Ann Dancy was a mother of five children ranging in age from 2 to 17 when she went to Fleming Center in North Raleigh, North Carolina for a safe and legal abortion on July 27, 1990. The abortion was performed by Clarence J. Washington at around 4:00 p.m. He documented no complications. After Mary Ann went home, she took a bath and went to bed. However, she bled heavily and Washington did not return her calls. The next day, July 28, she was taken by ambulance to Halifax Memorial Hospital. She died that night during emergency surgery from hemorrhage due to a lacerated cervix.

Non-fatal case with original source document available:

"Jane" ("M.B." in the medical board document) contacted Steven Chase Brigham's abortion practice in Voorhees, New Jersey for a second-trimester abortion. Because New Jersey law required that second-trimester abortions be performed in hospitals, Brigham (John Roe 45) had Jane report to his practice in Spring Valley, New York, which had no such restriction. She ended up with a hole in her uterus and a torn cervix and severed uterine artery. She had to undergo an emergency hysterectomy. What I find particularly interesting about this case is that the medical board decided to let him slide on this because other late-term abortionists said, "Yeah, I had that happen, too. Not a big deal."

Cases where I need original source documents:

"Charlotte" was 25 when she went to John Roe 436 for a safe, legal abortion. During the abortion he managed to lacerate her cervix and uterus while failing to complete the abortion. When Charlotte tried to sue to recoup the costs of the extensive medical care, Roe argued that Charlotte had signed an arbitration prior to the abortion so he was on the hook for a maximum of $15,000 and Charlotte would have to pay for the costs of the arbitration. (US District Court, Western District of North Carolina, Charlotte Division Case NO. C-C-78-0083)

"Tina" also had an abortion performed by John Roe 436. After the abortion, Tina suffered bleeding, nausea, and vomiting. She finally fell asleep on a couch in the clinic waiting room. Roe didn't even examine Tina before discharging her from the clinic. After she got home she passed a large clot, began to bleed profusely, and lost consciousness. She was transported to a hospital were doctors performed a hysterectomy to save her life. (Mecklenburg County North Carolina Superior Court File No. 82CVS406)

"Theresa" had an abortion performed on February 15, 1991 by National Abortion Federation member Erma Roe 137. She suffered  a perforated cervix, causing substantial blood lost. Theresa needed to undergo a hysterectomy, removal of her right Fallopian tube and ovary, and removal of part of her colon. (Jefferson Kentucky Circuit Court Case No. 92CI00493)

Watch Lime 5: Injuries to the Cervix on YouTube.