On October 7, 1963, 21-year-old Ann Keenan died at Wyandotte General Hospital near Detroit. Her cause of death is identified on her death certificate as as "Subarachnoid hemorrhage (a brain bleed) following septic (massively infected) criminal recent abortion with septic thromboembolism pneumonia (a clot getting into her lungs and causing septic pneumonia) and hepatitis with focal necrosis (spots of dead tissue) of liver."
The coverage was pretty thorough, including quotes from Ann's friends and relatives. Much was also made of the fact that her parents had requested that memorial funds be given to Planned Parenthood. Never mind the women who died after abortions at Planned Parenthood. Never mind that Roselle Owens, Tonya Reaves, Vivian Tran, Diana Lopez, Elise Kalat, Cree Erwin-Sheppard, and Edrica Good ended up dead after trusting Planned Parenthood. Go ahead and give your money to a place where women die the same kinds of death Ann died. It's legal. So it's okay.
Exactly who perpetrated the fatal abortion doesn't seem to pique the interest of those who want to hang her death around her distant-relative-by-marriage's neck. There was a lot of speculation but no facts were offered. For all the Keenan keeners know, Ann could have had an abortion performed by a reputable doctor in a clean office. Around 90% of women who sought abortions before legalizations did. At some level I think they don't want to know, precisely because of that possibility. The abortion was illegal, and that's why she died. Full stop as far as the abortion lobby cares.
Why don't we look at some other abortion deaths through the decades and imagine what the abortion lobby would have said about them?
1903: A woman identified only as Mrs. John A. Morris of Jacksonville, Illinois died on July 16. An investigation found that she had tried a do-it-yourself abortion using an instrument given to her by a friend. Prochoice verdict: She was forced to do a self-induced abortion because of the law.
1903: Florence Gaiewski died after an abortion attributed to Dr. Ladislaw Slominski in Chicago. Prochoice verdict: He must have been a dangerous quack and not a legitimate doctor. We know this because the abortion was illegal and she died.
1913: A St. Louis midwife confessed to perpetrating a fatal abortion on Emily Nohavec. Emily died from sepsis, though doctors found no injuries to her uterus. Prochoice verdict: Abortion is safe enough to be done by non-physicians such as nurses and midwives, but only if the abortion is legal. Otherwise the woman was forced to choose a dangerous abortion due to the law.
1913: Emma Chandler died after an abortion perpetrated by Dr. Ja. A. Richmond. Prochoice verdict: He must have been a dangerous quack and not a legitimate doctor. We know this because the abortion was illegal and she died.
1913: Mary Tureck died in Chicago from an abortion perpetrated by somebody who was never identified. Prochoice verdict: It doesn't matter who did it -- she died because it was illegal.
1913: Anna Adler was the first of six women I know of who died of abortions under the care of Dr. Lou E. Davis of Chicago. Prochoice verdict: Dr. Davis must have been a total quack, not a legitimate doctor. We know this because abortion was illegal and her patients died.
1913: Frances Odochowski died in Chicago after an abortion performed by Dr. A. R. Blunt. Prochoice verdict: He must have been a dangerous quack and not a legitimate doctor. We know this because the abortion was illegal and she died.
1913: Catherine Sartelopoulos died from an abortion attributed to Dr. Paul Ackerman of Chicago. Prochoice verdict: He must have been a dangerous quack and not a legitimate doctor. We know this because the abortion was illegal and she died.
1913: Hulda Tubbin died in Chicago from an abortion attributed to Dr. Olaf Olson. Prochoice verdict: He must have been a dangerous quack and not a legitimate doctor. We know this because the abortion was illegal and she died.
1913: Catherine Seabrooke died in Chicago from an abortion performed by an undetermined perpetrator. Prochoice verdict: It doesn't matter who did it -- she died because it was illegal.
1923: Daisy Singerland died after a criminal abortion perpetrated by Dr. J. W. Lipscomb in Chicago.
2013: When Jennifer McKenna-Morbelli's family tried to call National Abortion Federation member LeRoy Carhart to report frightening complications, the phone rang to the Carharts' equestrian supply business. This led to a delay in the treatment that might have saved Jennifer's life. Prochoice verdict: All surgery has risks. But if abortion had been illegal, it would have been because of the law.
Prochoice verdict: He must have been a dangerous quack and not a legitimate doctor. We know this because the abortion was illegal and she died.
1923: Alice Johnson died in Chicago after an abortion attributed to Dr. Lorenz Lapsky. Prochoice verdict: He must have been a dangerous quack and not a legitimate doctor. We know this because the abortion was illegal and she died.
1923: Martha Byzynski died in Chicago after an abortion perpetrated by Jan Worchowski, who was identified as either a nurse or a midwife. Prochoice verdict: Abortion is safe enough to be done by non-physicians such as nurses and midwives, but only if the abortion is legal. Otherwise the woman was forced to choose a dangerous abortion due to the law.
1923: Lydia Nelson died from an abortion attributed to Dr. Charles Klinetop. Prochoice verdict: He must have been a dangerous quack and not a legitimate doctor. We know this because the abortion was illegal and she died.
1923: Mary Federowicz died from complications of an abortion attributed to Anna Mithnewicz, whose profession I've been unable to determined. Prochoice verdict: It doesn't matter who did it -- she died because it was illegal.
1923: Mabel Duncan named nurse/midwife Alma Dittman as the abortionist who fatally injured her. Dittman was also implicated in at least two other abortion deaths. Prochoice verdict: Abortion is safe enough to be done by non-physicians such as nurses and midwives, but only if the abortion is legal. Otherwise the woman was forced to choose a dangerous abortion due to the law.
1923: Catherine Stange died in Denver after an abortion perpetrated by Dr. Daniel R. Lucy. Prochoice verdict: He must have been a dangerous quack and not a legitimate doctor. We know this because the abortion was illegal and she died.
1923: Lauretta Schranz died from an abortion attributed to Lena Rumenstein and Ethel Davis, whose professions I've been unable to determine. Prochoice verdict: Clearly they were rank amateurs who used a coathanger. We know this because abortion was illegal and Lauretta died.
1923: Mollie Monilson died from a criminal abortion committed by an unknown perpetrator. Prochoice verdict: It doesn't matter who did it -- she died because it was illegal.
1923: Emma Herod died in Chicago after an abortion attributed to Dr. Emma Warren. Prochoice verdict: She must have been a dangerous quack and not a legitimate doctor. We know this because the abortion was illegal and she died.
1933: "Nina" died after her boyfriend arranged for her to have an abortion performed by Dr. E. T. Martin, who brought in another doctor to help care for her after she developed complications. Prochoice verdict: He must have been a dangerous quack and not a legitimate doctor. We know this because the abortion was illegal and she died.
1933: In a deathbed statement, Florence Jordan named Dr. Justin Mitchell as her abortionist. He went on to be blamed for the death of Alice Haggin. Prochoice verdict: He must have been a dangerous quack and not a legitimate doctor. We know this because the abortion was illegal and women died.
1933: Mary Colbert was one of three patients to die after abortions performed by Dr. Emil Gleitsman. Prochoice verdict: He must have been a dangerous quack and not a legitimate doctor. We know this because the abortion was illegal and women died.
1943: Naomi Congdon died from sepsis after an abortion performed by a nurse. Prochoice verdict: Abortion is safe enough to be done by non-physicians such as nurses and midwives, but only if the abortion is legal. Otherwise the woman was forced to choose a dangerous abortion due to the law.
1943: Katherine DeDonato died after an abortion performed by Dr. Aloysius Mulholland, who had already been charged with another abortion death the previous decade. Prochoice verdict: He must have been a dangerous quack and not a legitimate doctor. We know this because the abortion was illegal and women died.
1943: Anna Roche died in New York after an abortion performed by an unknown perpetrator. Prochoice verdict: It doesn't matter who did it -- she died because it was illegal.
1943: Dr. Anthony Renda, author of three books on obstetrics, performed a fatal abortion on Amelia Cardito. Prochoice verdict: Okay, he was a good doctor. But Amelia still only died because of the law.
1943: Lavern Perez died after an abortion perpetrated by Dr. Henry Gross, who was also investigated that same year for the abortion death of Dorothy Webber. Prochoice verdict: He must have been a dangerous quack and not a legitimate doctor. We know this because the abortion was illegal and they died.
1953: Joyce Chorney died from an abortion attributed to Dr. Alfred Joseph. Prochoice verdict: He must have been a dangerous quack and not a legitimate doctor. We know this because the abortion was illegal and she died.
1973: Evelyn Dudley died from a ruptured cervix and vagina after an abortion performed at Friendship Medical Center in Chicago. Prochoice verdict: All surgery has risks. But if abortion had been illegal, it would have been because of the law.
1973: Kathy Murphy became one of four women to die after abortions performed at the disreputable Inglewood Women's Hospital in Los Angeles. Prochoice verdict: The hospital was only seedy and dangerous because antichoicers try to impose safety regulations on abortion providers.
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| Linda Padfield |
1973: Linda Padfield became the first of two safe-and-legal abortion patients to die after former criminal abortionist Dr. Benjamin Munson sent them home with large portions of their mangled fetuses still in their wombs. Prochoice verdict: Dr. Munson was a hero and those women only died because all surgery has risks.
1973: "Donna" developed a pulmonary embolism during a prostaglandin abortion performed in a New York hospital. Prochoice verdict: All surgery has risks. But if abortion had been illegal, it would have been because of the law.
1973: "Dorothy" developed a pulmonary embolism and died after a hysterotomy abortion. Prochoice verdict: All surgery has risks. But if abortion had been illegal, it would have been because of the law.
1973: "Eleanor" developed an amniotic fluid embolism and died from clotting problems after a risky saline abortion. Prochoice verdict: All surgery has risks. But if abortion had been illegal, it would have been because of the law.
1973: "Vanessa" developed a fatal embolism after a suction abortion. Prochoice verdict: All surgery has risks. But if abortion had been illegal, it would have been because of the law.
1973: Julia Rogers developed peritonitis and died after an abortion at Chicago's Friendship Medical Center. Prochoice verdict: All surgery has risks. But if abortion had been illegal, it would have been because of the law.
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| Maureen Tyke |
1983: Maureen Tyke died from mitral valve prolapse after an abortion. Prochoice verdict: All surgery has risks. But if abortion had been illegal, it would have been because of the law.
1983: Rosario Bermeo died after an abortion performed by Dr. Joseph B. Shapse at Prospect Hospital in New York. Prochoice verdict: All surgery has risks. But if abortion had been illegal, it would have been because of the law.
1983: Barbara Hoppert died after an abortion performed at Loma Linda University Hospital on the advice of her physician. Prochoice verdict: All surgery has risks. But if abortion had been illegal, it would have been because of the law. Even though good-faith abortions done because of threat to the mother's life were legal even when abortion-on-demand wasn't.
1983: Sharon Davis fought off a post-abortion infection for four months before losing her battle. Prochoice verdict: All surgery has risks. But if abortion had been illegal, it would have been because of the law.
1983: Moris Helen Herron's doctor gave her antacids to treat her pain after an abortion and tubal ligation. It turned out she had a perforated bowel. She died of peritonitis. Prochoice verdict: All surgery has risks. But if abortion had been illegal, it would have been because of the law.
1983: Mary Ives developed an amniotic fluid embolism and died after a legal abortion in Connecticut. Prochoice verdict: All surgery has risks. But if abortion had been illegal, it would have been because of the law.
1983: Shirley Payne became the 4th woman do die after an abortion at a Miami clinic run by an erstwhile criminal abortionist named Hipolito Barreiro. Prochoice verdict: This former criminal abortionist was only able to openly operate a seedy abortion clinic because antichoicers kept trying to pass safety laws and regulations. It's their fault!
1993: Andrea Corey got a referral from Planned Parenthood to an abortion clinic that sent her home with retained tissue that caused a fatal infection. Prochoice verdict: All surgery has risks. But if abortion had been illegal, it would have been because of the law.
1993: "Jane Doe" bled to death after she was allowed to hemorrhage for two hours before staff at Metropolitan Medical Associates finally called an ambulance. Prochoice verdict: The clinic was obviously afraid to call an ambulance because antichoicers would see the ambulance and publicize the emergency. It's their fault Jane died!
1993: Giselene Lafontant wasn't properly monitored in the recovery room of Gynecare, so she wasn't resuscitated promptly when she stopped breathing in the recovery room. Prochoice verdict: The clinic only lacked proper monitoring equipment because antichoicers keep trying to pass safety regulations for abortion clinics.
1993: Kathy McKnight died from a pulmonary embolism after a legal abortion. Prochoice verdict: All surgery has risks. But if abortion had been illegal, it would have been because of the law.
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| Guadalupe Negron |
1993: Guadalope Negron died from appalling negligence at a filthy New York practice that advertised as a clinic even though it wasn't licensed. Prochoice verdict: David Benjamin was only able to operate a filthy, illegal, and dangerous abortion clinic because antichoicers keep trying to pass safety regulations.
1993: After her doctor quit, Alicia Hanna, who had no medical training, decided to do abortions herself in the shoddy-run-down clinic she owned. After Angela Sanchez died under her care, Hanna tried to dump the body in Tijuana. Prochoice verdict: Hanna was only able to run her seedy, illegal clinic because safety rules made clinic abortions too expensive.
2003: Leigh Ann Alford bled to death after an undiagnosed uterine perforation at a National Abortion Federation member clinic. Prochoice verdict: All surgery has risks. But if abortion had been illegal, it would have been because of the law.
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| Holly Patterson |
2003: Holly Patterson died of septic shock after getting abortion pills at a Planned Parenthood. Prochoice verdict: All surgery has risks. But if abortion had been illegal, it would have been because of the law.
2003: Vivian Tran also died of septic shock after getting abortion pills at a Planned Parenthood. Prochoice verdict: All surgery has risks. But if abortion had been illegal, it would have been because of the law.
2003: Regina Johnson was one of three patients to die at a National Abortion Federation clinic operated by Dr. Alberto Hodari. After her death, inspectors found falsified documents and inadequate equipment. Prochoice verdict: Hodari was forced to cut corners in his recovery room because antichoicers are always picking on him.
2013: Maria Santiago was left unmonitored and unattended after her abortion at one of Steven Chase Brigham's clinics. Prochoice verdict: Brigham was forced to cut corners in his recovery room because antichoicers are always picking on him.
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| Jennifer McKenna-Morbelli |
2013: When Jennifer McKenna-Morbelli's family tried to call National Abortion Federation member LeRoy Carhart to report frightening complications, the phone rang to the Carharts' equestrian supply business. This led to a delay in the treatment that might have saved Jennifer's life. Prochoice verdict: All surgery has risks. But if abortion had been illegal, it would have been because of the law.
Watch When the Prochoice Care and Comparing Unacceptable vs. Unacceptable Abortion Deaths on YouTube.
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