Anniversary: Anesthesia for abortion kills mother

Gwendolyn Cliett, age 29, was about to undergo an elective abortion and tubal ligation at Presbyterian Hospital in Philadelphia on March 5, 1980. She was 8 to 10 weeks pregnant.

Before the proecdure could be done, Gwendolen reacted to the anesthesia and died.

For more abortion deaths, visit the Cemetery of Choice:



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Anniversary: Chicago criminal abortion death

On March 5, 1900, Mrs. Alice Koester died in German Hospital from complications of an illegal abortion evidently performed there that day by Maria Janke.

Janke was arrested March 10, and held by Coroner's Jury on March 11. She was sentenced by Judge Clifford to Joliet Penitentiary.

Janke's employment status is listed as "professional", but nothing more specific is indicated to clarify why she would be performing an illegal abortion in a hospital.

Great new tool!

Joe at Defend Life has built an interactive map of Maryland abortion facilities.

Instructions are on how to go, thou, and do likewise.

It'd be great if one person in every state did this, and added information about the malpractice suits and deaths at the various facilities!

Should they have offered her an abortion?

An obese woman was surprised when her abdominal pain was diagnosed as a full-term fetus.

Now, if women have an inalienable right to opt out of motherhood, was the hospital remiss in not offering an immediate abortion upon diganosing the pregnancy?

Don't forget! March 10 is Abortionists' Day!

Just a reminder that March 10 has been designated "National Day of Appreciation for Abortion Providers" by the abortion lobby. (The project was launched, I believe, by Medical Students for Choice. Interesting to set up a day for yourself to be appreciated in the future. Kind of like if FBLA has been the ones to start Secretary's Day. But I digress.) NAF is plugging it on their main web site, so evidently at least some folks are planning to observe it this year, though it seems to be petering out over the years and becoming more of a day for prolifers to remember abortionists than for prochoicers to "appreciate" them. I can find very little online that's current, but I'm without a computer at home for the nonce so I don't get a lot of chance to look. Cue me in, folks!


Priests for Life had suggested March 9 as "National Day of Invitation for Abortion Providers" to invite them to repent and reform. I don't see why we can't do it March 10 so that we're using the same day. In fact, it would be a powerful witness if the only people reaching out to abortionists on their special day was prolifers.

The National Day of Appreciation for Abortion Providers is mainly intended to overcome the powerful negatives of working in abortion. Dr. Rachel McNair has explored the stresses of abortion work in her Achieving Peace in the Abortion War. I'll not repeat Dr. McNair's findings here. I heartily recommend that between now and March 10, each and every person who is called to stand for life read this book online, prayerfully, with a heart open to ideas of how we can reach the folks who've fallen for the lie that abortion helps women.

Keep in mind that we're not dealing with evil people who enjoy killing babies. Yes, there's greed. Yes, there's egotism. But a common underlying motivation is the idea that somehow what they're doing is helping the patients. The typical abortion worker views himself as bravely overcoming his natural revulsion at destroying fetal life in order to better the lives of women.

So what we need to do is break through that illusion. With that in mind, let's look at Refuse and Resist's suggestions, and see where we can get ideas to reach these lost souls and help them break free. Refuse and Resist suggested the following activities for abortion fans last year:

• Praise clinic staff and doctors with cards and letters of appreciation. Let them know they have your support and thanks.
  
• Bring your local clinic staff flowers or a breakfast basket of fruit or muffins.
  
• Organize local appreciation day events.
  
• Organize with others to hold a March 10th dinner with area providers.
  
• Step up to the front lines and be a volunteer clinic escort.
  
• Ask your local provider how you can help.
  
• Write your local newspaper, call talk shows to express support.
  
• Take out ads in your newsletters and local newspapers.
  
• Use your imagination, creativity and dedication to help create a climate at clinics where women, doctors and staff can hold their heads high without feeling shamed or fearing assault.

My suggestions, based on the R&R list:

• Send clinic staff letters gently letting them know that though they may have meant well, they hurt you or your loved one.
  
• Bring your local staff gift baskets that include information on the Society of Centurions, or Clinic Worker.com. Make the gifts real gifts, like notecards, fruit, bath salts, and so forth, not phony "gifts" intended to crush the worker's spirit, like bloody dismembered baby dolls, baby clothes, etc.
  
• Organize a local event to increase awareness of how abortion hurts women, or provide a respectful counter-presence at locally organized pro-abortion events.
  
• Organize a job fair to help link clinic staff with people willing to give them new jobs that will allow them to escape the abortion business.
  
• Be a presence outside abortion facilities, reminding staff, patients, and the public of women who've been harmed there.
  
• Invite your local abortion staff to coffee, to let him or her vent in a safe environment without fear of being labeled a traitor.
  
• Write to your local newspaper, and call talk shows, to educate people about the harm abortion does to women.
  
• Use your imagination to create a climate in which abortion staff know that it's safe for them to approach you should they ever need your help.

Keep your eyes open for events being planned to keep abortionists in thrall. Think of ways to counter these efforts. Let's be a soft place for these wounded souls to land.

Anniversary: Patricia Chacon, bled to death

Sixteen-year-old Patricia Chacon underwent a second-trimester abortion at the hands of either Edward Allred or Leslie Orleans at Allred's Avalon Hospital in Los Angeles on the morning of March 3, 1984. Patty retained fetal tissues, so she was scheduled for a second procedure that afternoon to complete the abortion.

There are conflicting stories as to what happened next. Allred claimed that Patty died of an embolism during the second surgery (he pronounced her dead at 4:30 PM). Patty's parents claim that Patty bled to death while left unattended.

An autopsy found numerous catgut sutures in Patty's vagina and hemorrhage in her uterus. Death was attributed to disseminated intravascular coagulopathy (DIC) due to abortion-induced amniotic fluid embolism. DIC kills you by hindering its abilty to clot properly; patients often bleed to death because their blood can no longer clot. Patty's parents sued Allred and Orleans for their daughter's death.

Avalon Hospital was part of Edward Allred's Family Planning Associates Medical Group, a National Abortion Federation member facility.

Patricia is one of many women to die at one of Edward Allred's facilities. Others known to have died after abortion at Allred's facilities include:

Denise Holmes, age 24, 1970

Mary Pena, age 43, 1984

Josefina Garcia, age 37, 1985

Lanice Dorsey, age 17, 1986

Joyce Ortenzio, age 32, 1988

Tami Suematsu, age 19, 1988

Susan Levy, age 30, 1992

Deanna Bell, age 13, 1992

Christine Mora, age 18, 1994

Kimberly Neil, 2000

Chanelle Bryant, age 22, 2004

For more abortion deaths, visit the Cemetery of Choice:



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New Jersey NAF clinic shut down by the state

Check out JJ's great entry about the latest National Abortion Federation member to get shut down by the state. At least it's not in Alabama this time. We get some novelty!

For the record, NAF advertises (emphasis mine):

Our member clinics care for more than half the women who choose abortion each year in the United States. In order to become a member, a clinic must complete a rigorous application process. Member clinics have agreed to comply with our standards for quality and care, updated annually in our Clinical Policy Guidelines, which set the evidence-based standards for abortion care in North America. NAF periodically conducts site visits to confirm that our clinics are in compliance with our guidelines.

Anniversary: Baby born live, strangled by abortionist

This is the aniversary of the day in 1977 that William Waddill performed a 30-week elective abortion that resulted in a live birth. Waddill strangled the infant as she lay in the NICU isolette.

He beat a murder rap by getting two hung juries, whose indecisiveness hinged on an obscure legal definition of "death". Even though multiple witnesses saw the strangling, even though the pathologist confirmed that Baby W. died of "manual strangulation", each jury had at least one holdout who argued that this didn't mean Waddil had actually caused Baby W.'s "death".

Today would have been Baby W's thirtieth birthday.

Safe and legal anniversaries: the deaths of two young teens

Sixteen-year-old Erica Richardson was brought to abortionist Gene Crawford by her aunt on March 1, 1989. Erica's aunt reported that Crawford left the girl unattended for four hours after her abortion, then at 11PM carried her to the car and instructed her aunt to take her home.

Erica's aunt, a nurse, instead took the girl to a hospital. Erica died of an embolism shortly after midnight on March 2. Erica's mother had not known that her daughter was going to have an abortion.

*****

Jammie Garcia died a wretched death at the age of 14 on March 2, 1994. You can read about it here. Jammie was one of the unfortunate patients to die at one of Moshe Hachamovitch's seedy abortion mills. The others are Luz Rodriguez, Christina Goesswein, Tanya Williamson, Lou Ann Herron, and Lisa Bardsley.

For more abortion deaths, visit the Cemetery of Choice:



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Bled to death after abortion at Planned Parenthood

Diana Lopez, age 25, was 19 weeks pregnant when she went to a Planned Parenthood for an abortion on February 28, 2002. She was 19 weeks pregnant.

Before the day was over, Diana had bled to death. She left two sons, 4-year-old Frankie and 2-year-old Fabian, motherless. The taxpayers of California paid for the fatal abortion, courtesy of Medi-Cal.

After the abortion, Diana had been rushed by ambulance to County Women‘s Hospital, where a hysterectomy was performed and Diana was given five units of whole blood in a futile attempt to save her life.

Diana‘s autopsy noted that Diana had hemorrhaged from a perforation of her cervix.

Diana‘s husband, David, filed suit, alleging that the abortionist‘s haste caused severe lacerations that killed his wife. The suit says that Diana‘s abortion was rushed through in ony six minutes, although Planned Parenthood‘s own web site says such a procedure should take 10 to 20 minutes.

The lawsuit also blames Planned Parenthood for proceeding with an abortion even though her hemoglobin levels were abnormally low prior to the procedure.

The family‘s attorney also noted that in 2000, the same Planned Parenthood rushed another woman though a similar 6-minute abortion, lacerating the patient‘s cervix, rupturing her uterus, perforating her sigmoid colon and causing the loss of 2 liters of blood. Planned Parenthood also delayed three hours before transferring the patient to a hospital. Fortunately, this patient survived her ordeal.

A review of Los Angeles County civil cases indicates that this patient was probably Kimberly Thomas, who sued on April 19, 2002, after her abortion by Joseph Marmet. Kimberly‘s suit was one of roughly 50 filed against the Los Angeles Planned Parenthood from 1983 to 2002. The medical board took no action against Marmet.

The medical board took no action against Diana‘s abortionist, Dr. Mark Maltzer, either. However, the California Department of Health Services investigated the facility and cited Planned Parenthood for:

* Failing to institute a necessary change in medical protocol relating to the use of laminaria (used to expand the cervix) in the dilation and evacuation procedure.
* Lacking the evidence to show a completed assessment of the competency and credentials of the physician who carried out the abortion.
* Inadequately advising against a potentially dangerous second-trimester D&E procedure based on low hemoglobin levels.
* Failing to follow proper surgical abortion policy and procedure by administering Cytotec to the patient on day one of the two-day abortion procedure, when policy requires it to be administered 90 minutes before the abortion procedure.
* Failing to inform Planned Parenthood‘s governing body of any adverse outcome related to patient care within the facility.
* Failing to notify the Health Department of a patient's death within 24 hours of the occurrence.
* Keeping incomplete records describing the services provided to Lopez.

The fact that the Planned Parenthood has made &quo;corrections&quo; to satisfy the state does not satisfy Diana‘s family. "It was wrong. It was wrong,"; said Judy Lopez, Diana‘s older sister. "She was healthy. She was fine."

For more abortion deaths, visit the Cemetery of Choice:



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Went into septic shock three weeks after abortion

Andrea Corey was 31 years old when she was referred by nearby Planned Parenthood to Southern Tier Women's Services in New York for an abortion.

Andrea was sent home after her abortion, but she had retained tissue that caused an infection.

She died of this infection on February 28, 1993.

For more abortion deaths, visit the Cemetery of Choice:



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Died after abortion

The only information I've been able to gather on Diane Adams comes from pro-life web sites.

Human Life International mentions that abortionist Angel Acevado Montalvo was charged with manslaughter in two cases of maternal deaths from abortion.

HLI also notes that after his conviction, Montalvo went right back to business doing abortions.

Priests for Life posts a list of women who have died from legal abortions, including Diane Adams, whose date of death they give as February 28, 1992. They cite a March 5, 1992 article in the Virgin Islands Daily News. They cite one other death, that of Rosael Rodriguez, from that article.

Rosael Rodriguez and Diane Adams are most likely the two women referred to by HLI.

For more abortion deaths, visit the Cemetery of Choice:



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Went into convulsions after saline abortion

"Roseanne" is one of the women Life Dynamics identifies on their "Blackmun Wall" as having been killed by a safe, legal abortion.

Roseanne was in the second trimester of pregnancy when she chose safe and legal abortion in 1971. She was 37 years old, had had four children.

She was infused with saline for the abortion. Two days later, she began vomiting and having siezures. She aspirated some of the vomit and developed pneumonia.

The pneumonia took its toll. Roseanne died on February 27 from the pneumonia and anoxic brain damage

For more abortion deaths, visit the Cemetery of Choice:



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Dead after abortion in Chicago

On February 27, 1926, 36-year-old Anna Welger died in her home from complications of an abortion performed that day.

Theresa Struhala was indicted for felony murder in Anna's death.

John Welger, whose relationship to Anna was not disclosed, was booked as an accomplice, but was later released.



For more on pre-legalization abortion, see The Bad Old Days of Abortion

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Died after abortion by Ida Cantor

On February 6, 1924, Ida Cantor performed an abortion on a woman not named in Westlaw summaries. I'll refer to her as "Patsy" Roe.

Patsy developed septicemia after the abortion, and went to a hospital on February 11. She was treated there until her death on February 26.

The jury found that Ida used improperly sterilized or non-sterile instruments in the abortion.



For more on pre-legalization abortion, see The Bad Old Days of Abortion

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ATVs and babies don't mix

Police: Man was drunk, driving ATV and holding baby when wreck happened

Drunken moron rides ATV while carrying 9-month-old baby. Baby ends up tossed onto pavement.

Fortunately, the child's injuries were not life-threatening.

People, DO NOT ride ATVs, lawn mowers, tractors, etc. with children!

Search: 1940s urban abortions

We can start by looking at mortality trends. It was during the 1940s that the US saw a huge drop in abortion mortality, due to the introduction of blood products and antibiotics.

All abortion deaths -- "therapeutic", illegal, and spontaneous (miscarriages) were lumped together in abortion mortality statistics of the time. They fell from 1,407 in 1940 to 744 in 1945. By the end of the 1940s, they'd fallen to 263.



Now for a look at some particulars. Since my focus is on abortion deaths, those will be the examples I have.

According to NOW, Pauline Shirley died in 1940 from a self-induced abortion. Perplexingly, NOW says that Pauline needed the abortion for life-threatening medical complications, but this makes no sense since doctors didn't risk prosecution for taking steps necessary to save a pregnant patient, even if these steps ended the life of the fetus. NOW does not cite its sources.

Agnes Pearson died in 1941, and two physicians were charged in her death. A blind lay abortionist was arrested for the abortion death of Helen Clark.

Harriet Lichtenberg's 1942 abortion death was blamed on a physician. One doctor and several accomplices were arrested for the 1942 abortion death of Madeline McGeehan. A doctor who was the golfing buddy of the prosecutor beat the rap for the 1942 abortion death of Cleo Moore. The grand-niece of Andrew Carnegie, Florence Schnoor, was killed in 1942 by an abortionist who was never identified.

A doctor implicated himself in the 1944 abortion death of Amelia Cardito.

Beatrice Fisher died after a 1945 abortion by a Seattle physician.

Jane Ward, heiress to the Drake Bakeries fortune, died in 1947 from an illegal abortion. A physician was implicated in the death of Ilene Eagen.

Doris Becker died in 1948 from a physician-induced abortion.

A non-physician was responsible for the 1949 death of Dorothy Martin.



For more on pre-legalization abortion, see The Bad Old Days of Abortion

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Search: reformed abortionists

Two people came searching for "Ex-Abortion Providers testimonies"

This seems a good time to start with mention of the Society of Centurions, an organization originally founded in Eastern Europe to help with the emotional and spiritual recovery of former abortion workers. The Society's name is a reference to the Centurion in the Bible, who helped to crucify Christ. When Christ died, this soldier fell to his knees, dropped his sword, and cried, "Truly this was an innocent man." The Centurions have recognized the innocence of their unborn victims and dropped their weapons.

Here are some former abortion workers who have left the business and spoken out about why:

Dr. Paul Jarrett is unusual in that his awakening came early in his abortion career.

Dina Madsen worked in abortion during the early 1990s.

Dr. Anthony Levatino had a moral and spiritual awakening when his daughter was struck and killed by a car.

Kathy Sparks worked phones, prep, and other areas of abortion practice.

Carol Everett operated the Dallas abortion mill where Shari Graham was mortally wounded in her safe, legal abortion.

Dr. David Brewer was troubled at first by abortion, then grew calloused.

Deobrah Henry was befriended by a prolifer who led her out of the business.

Dr. Beverly McMillan had opened the first abortion clinic in Mississippi. A simple question by a new staff member started her turn-around.

Joan Appleton is now active with the Society of Centurions.

Joy Davis, while working for abortionist Tommy Tucker, fought in vain to save the life of Angela Hall.

Dr. McArthur Hill began his abortion career in New York in 1971.

Judith Fetrow was uncomfortable with abortion when she worked at Planned Parenthood, but her first attempt to leave was tripped up by a nasty prolifer.

Dr. Joseph Randall, paradoxically, became involved in later abortions just as he was also exploring Christianity.

Dr. Yvonne Moore worked for two years as an abortionist.

Luhra Tivis was sent by a temp agency to work for George Tiller in Wichita.

Brenda Pratt Schaffer was sent by a nursing agency to assist Martin Haskell in his late-abortion business.

Norma McCorvy, the "Jane Roe" of Roe vs. Wade, was working at a Dallas area abortion facility when Operation Rescue moved in next door.

Kirsten Breedlove worked at the same abortion facility as Norma McCorvey.

To purchase videos or DVDs of former abortion workers' testimonies, visit Meet the Abortion Providers. Also read, Ex-Abortionists: Why They Quit by Mary Meehan.

Search: ambulance atlanta surgi-center

I've had two people come in searching for "ambulance atlanta surgi-center", which has me wondering if something recent went down there. If anybody knows, please pass it on.

Atlanta Surgi-Center is the National Abortion Federation member that performed the safe and legal abortion that left Catherine Pierce in a fatal coma, and seems to be the place where Geneva Colton's fatal abortion was performed.

Investigators found disturbing things in the wake of Catherine's death. The clinic was faulted for administering "the same anesthesia dosages" to patients whose weights ranges from 107 to 167 pounds, inadequate record keeping, and inadequate supervision of patients.Among the patient care problems cited, the investigators also said that they found discrepancies between the number of fetuses sent to the disposal lab and the number of abortions performed. In 1989 Atlanta Surgi-Center had logged 1,748 abortions, but had only sent 155 fetuses for disposal. In 1988 they had logged 2,774 abortions, but only sent 155 fetuses for disposal. In 1987 they logged 1,104 abortions but only sent 306 fetuses for disposal. The investigation into fetus disposal was prompted by local prolifers reporting that they had seen hundreds of fetuses in the clinic's dumpsters. Dr. Gay, the clinic director, denied the allegations.

1993: NAF member leaves woman in fatal coma

A suit was filed on behalf of Venus Ortiz, age 23. The following are the allegations raised in the suit against National Abortion Federation member Eastern Women's Center.



Evidence indicated that the abortion of Venus' approximately 15-week pregnancy was performed by a Dr. Leiber. The abortion took place at Eastern February 24, 1993.

The suit alleged that there was negligence in administering anesthesia to Venus, and failure to establish an airway. Brevital, fentanyl, and midazolam were administered in dosages and manners contrary to standards of practice, causing Venus to suffer a synergistic reaction.

Eastern's staff failed to promptly diagnose and attend to cardio-pulmonary arrest. Eastern's notes of 5:35 PM indicate "2:35 PM end of surgery ... we noticed patient's ashen color and the pulse oximeter tracing and digital readout were gone from the monitor." Emergency medical services were called. The reading of Venus' blood pressure at that time was 90/55; four minutes later it was recorded as being 146/62.

Venus was transported by ambulance to a hospital, accompanied by Dr. Cyrus, Dr. Goodman, and/or Dr. Jeffrey P. Moskowitz. However, the damage had already been done. Venus was left in permanent need of respirator, with profound brain damage. Venus remains in a coma/vegetative state. She was hospitalized a little over five months before being transferred to permanent nursing home care.

To further underscore Eastern's neglect of patients' needs, the suit also noted that although this was her 4th abortion, Venus had not been referred to a social worker.

Venus remained in a permanent vegetative state for the remainder of her life. She died in New York on December 16, 1998 at the age of 29.

Two other patients, Dawn Ravenelle and Dawn Mack, also died of complications of abortions done at Eastern Women's Center.

For more abortion deaths, visit the Cemetery of Choice:



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