Search: Delta Women's Clinic of Baton Rouge

Another search was for Delta Women's Clinic of Baton Rouge. This clinic was one of three independently operated facilities under same ownership. The others were in Gulfport, MS and New Orleans LA. The Baton Rouge facility was gutted by fire in 2001. The fire was ruled accidental, due to an electrical problem. The owner of the building had filed suit alleging that the performance of abortions on the premises resulted in the loss of fire and hazard insurance, threatening the owner's mortgage; Delta and Glidden were informed of such but failed to cease performing abortions, in violation of the lease. (Baton Rouge Parish Case No. 299277)

Ingar Weber died after an abortion at Delta in 1990. Sheila Hebert died after an abortion there in 1984.

News coverage also has been ignoring the fact that Planned Parenthood stopped referring women to Baton Rouge Delta after a teen-ager said the doctor walked out of the room during her abortion, and that the clinic had run out of sterilized gloves and pain medication. The health department also recommended revoking Delta's laboratory license due to the possibility of inadequate testing. (Dallas Morning News 9-5-93; AP 10-4-97 in The Advocate, Baton Rouge)

Michelle P. alleged that she went to Delta for the abortion of her 20 week pregnancy. The abortion was performed by Richardson Glidden at Delta March 28, 1984. Glidden failed to determine the position of the fetus, was unable to retrieve fetal leg, and sent Michelle home with assurance that she would expel the leg. Michelle was bedridden with pain for six days, then returned to Delta. Glidden then informed Michelle of a laceration of her uterine wall in addition to the retained leg. Glidden's attempt to remove the fetal leg was unsuccessful. Michelle was transported to a hospital, where the fetal leg was removed through a surgical incision. (Baton Rouge Parish District Court Case No. 281159)

Kathleen R. alleged that she underwent an abortion of her 6-8 week pregnancy performed by Calvin Jackson at Delta July 16, 1974. Upon arriving home, Kathleen was weak and bleeding. Her neighbor called Delta; Jackson was spoken to and informed of the heavy bleeding, which was a serious situation. Jackson prescribed Methergine. Kathleen's husband filled the prescription, and Kathleen's bleeding abated for 5 days. However, Kathleen had to be hospitalized one week following the abortion. There, she underwent a transfusion. Surgeons found a large hematoma and a perforated uterus. Kathleen had to have a hysterectomy to treat her injury. Her lawsuit also alleged that staff at Delta had failed to inform her of the risks of the abortion. (4th Circuit Louisiana Court of Appeals No. 9083)

WAFB-TV in Baton Rouge broke ranks in the coverage after the fire, delving into some of Delta's unsavory past. A patient, Roxy D., had come forward saying that "a 1998 operation at Delta forced her to wear a colostomy bag for eight months." WAFB-TV investigated the clinic, and clinic workers spoke to WAFB, confirming Roxy's story. This is the story that, according to WAFB, prompted a spring 1999 vote of the Louisiana Legislature to include abortion facilities in outpatient surgical centers' regulations. Abortionists claimed that this was an attack on their practice and that following the regulations would drive up the cost of abortions. The abortionists sued, blocking enforcement of the law. In response, Louisiana legislators drafted a law requiring regulations just for abortion clinics.

WAFB's coverage also noted that state prosecutors have received detailed affidavits from former Delta workers about the conditions and practices at the clinic. WAFB's coverage of the fire concluded with noting that Delta heating up even before the fire -- the Roxy D's suit was about to enter into preliminary hearings, the former employees were stepping forward with allegations about conditions within the clinic, workers indicated that Delta's debts were mounting... and then the place burned to the ground.

Delta's abortionist, James Whitmore III, lost his license to practice medicine in 2002. The board had found Whitmore guilty of disregarding basic santitation, being rude to patients, and failing to provide proper care to a woman whose uterus he had perforated during an abortion. The woman ended up needing a hysterectomy. The board found that Whitmore used improperly sterilized equipment, reused single-use items, and let tissue float in the sterilizing solution. Whitmore had previously been on probation for three years beginning in 1992, after his actions led to the death of one post-term infant and the permanent injury of a pre-term infant.

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