December 27, 1985: Teen's Safe, Legal Abortion Not Legal After All

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Arnetta Hardaway was an 18-year-old senior at Atlanta's Lakeshore High School when she went to the practice of Dr. George Tucker in Atlanta for an abortion on December 3, 1985. This first attempt to abort Arnetta's baby was not successful, so Tucker had her return on December 26 to try again. As a black woman, she was at higher risk of being sold an abortion and an even higher risk of death than a white woman her age.

The next day, Arnetta expelled a dead baby and was rushed to Grady Memorial Hospital. Staff there spent several hours trying to save Arnetta's life, but she succumbed to infection and hemorrhage on December 27.

Tucker's license was suspended by the medical board for failure to meet minimal standards of care, and was indicted for performing an illegal third-trimester abortion. At the time of Arnetta's abortion, Georgia law required that second-trimester abortions be performed in hospitals and third trimester abortions were only allowed for purported danger to the mother's life, and even then he would need a second doctor to concur that the abortion was necessary

.* District Attorney Lewis Slaton characterized Arnetta's abortion as "way late."

Tucker had already drawn negative attention in 1981 after a non-pregnant reporter went to him and Tucker told her she was 5 weeks pregnant and attempted to sell her an abortion.

Tucker had an active medical board order on his license as of January 4, 2002. The Georgia medical board web site does not reveal the details of the order.

Sources:

• "Woman dies after abortion; doctor investigated,"  Atlanta Constitution, February 4, 1986
• "Physician probed in death," Atlanta Journal, February 4, 1986
• "Doctor told to halt abortions while being investigated," Atlanta Constitution, February 7, 1986
• "Abortionist suspended from doing operations," Macon Telegraph & News, February 8, 1986
• "Fulton doctors is indicted in abortion case," Atlanta Constitution, August 23, 1986

Watch Not So Legal After All on YouTube.

*A third-trimester life-of-the-mother abortion is nonsensical on its face, since nobody would reasonably think that the mother would benefit medically from additional steps taken to ensure a dead baby prior to ending the pregnancy safely for the woman.