October 15, 1990: Cheaper Abortion, Malpractice, and Death

On October 15, 1990, 23-year-old Angela Satterfield underwent a legal abortion at Statewide Clinic on 2617 E. 21st St. in Tulsa. Angela and her husband, Timothy Lee Satterfield, had a 15-month-old daughter at home. 

Angela's brother, Robert Wanner, said that Angela's doctor had recommended by the abortion for unspecified health reasons. Angela had gone to Statewide Clinic instead of to her own ob/gyn because her doctor charged $1,500 for an abortion, while abortions at Statewide ranged from $250 to $325, depending on whether she was less than 12 weeks pregnant or between 12 and 14 weeks.

It's impossible to know if Angela or her husband had known that Statewide had already been sued for the death three years earlier of 24-year-old Patricia King. 

Dr. Jimmie C. Toney did not verify that the fetus was actually in his patient's uterus. He simply performed an abortion procedure and sent her home. 

Grok AI illustration

Later that same day, the undiagnosed ectopic pregnancy ruptured. Angela was found dead in her home at around 4:40 pm. She had bled to death internally. 

Her death certificate only mentions the ectopic pregnancy and the hemorrhage, but her autopsy notes the failure of the abortionist to diagnose the ectopic pregnancy. The police, who clearly didn't understand that part of responsible abortion practice is making sure the fetus is in the uterus before proceeding, and decided that there was "no reason to suspect" that the abortion contributed to Angela's death.

Timothy Satterfield, however, contacted an attorney about pursuing a lawsuit. And he had good grounds. Even though, in theory, women who choose abortion should be less likely to die of ectopic pregnancy complications, experiences shows that they're actually //more// likely to die, due to sloppy practices by abortion practitioners. But since Toney himself didn't outlive Angela by that long -- public records indicate that he died in January of 1996 -- a lawsuit might well have become pointless because of difficulties in pursuing the case. 

Sources:

• Oklahoma Eastern Division, Autopsy Report No. T-332-90
• State of Oklahoma Certificate of Death No. 23934
• "Woman died after tube ruptured - Abortion not cited as cause," Tulsa World, November 8, 1990.