Dr. Joe Bills Reynolds was a jack of all trades, doing a variety of elective surgeries, including abortions, in his filthy clinic. Reynolds' anesthetist, age 60, had originally been hired as a janitor, and an untrained orderly was acting as his nurse. The operating room was littered with dirty cups and papers. Reynolds tried to collect $500,000 on his wife's life insurance after she bled to death after he opened 25-inch incision, ostensibly for liposuction, on September 7, 1989. Reynolds was found guilty of second-degree manslaughter. He voluntarily surrendered his Oklahoma license.
But Reynolds didn't kill only his wife. Gaylene Golden, age 21, died after an abortion by Reynolds.
Reynolds performed the abortion on Gaylene in his Oklahoma City office on September 30, 1985.
Due to a cervical laceration, Gaylene developed an embolism -- both air and amniotic fluid in her bloodstream. This embolism killed her. Gaylene left one child, a son, orphaned.
Friday, September 30, 2005
Thursday, September 29, 2005
Looking back -- a tragic death from 1923
On September 29, 1923, 44-year-old Annie Allison of Brooklyn died at the office of chiropractor Henry Lee Mottard, who practiced under the name of Dr. Henry L. Green.
Mottard alleged that Annie had died after an accidental fall down an elevator shaft at the premises. However, Annie's death certificate, signed by another physician, attributed her death to chronic cardiac nephritis.
In the wake of the autopsy's preliminary findings, Mottard was arrested on suspicion of homicide. The autopsy had shown no broken bones or other injuries consistent with a fatal fall, and therefore showed that Mottard had lied about the circumstances of Annie's death.
Police, who were investigating Mottard for his suspected involvement in a kidnap/adoption scheme, were suspicious and had Annie exhumed. It was revealed that she had died from an abortion.
A Grand Jury questioned many people: Dr. Norris, who had performed the autopsy; one of Annie's friends; the undertaker who buried Annie; Annie's brother; and the owner of the building where Annie had supposedly fallen to her death.
The kidnap/adoption scheme involved Lillian McKenzie, who as kidnapped from her baby buggy outside a store. Lillian's mother swore to police that Mildred Grofe, the adopted daughter of a New Jersey couple she'd visited, was actually Lillian. Lillian's mother evidently had been led to the Grofe family after a nurse reported having received two infants from Mottard, who instructed her to care for them. One infant was adopted out to the Grofe family. The other was sickly and was returned to Mottard's care. Upon investigation, the Grofe baby was found not to be Lillian McKenzie, because she was several months older than Lillian would have been.
During the investigation, police searched Mottard's ten-acre farm outside the city for evidence of more bodies after allegations arose that Mottard had also performed an abortion there on a young woman the previous January. Mottard admitted to having performed three abortions in the farmhouse, which was outside Long Island, but denied having performed the fatal one on Annie. The police were also searching for the remains of the sick baby the nurse had returned to Mottard's care. When questioned about the infant, Mottard was unable to give the police a satisfactory answer.
An operating room and a machine gun were found in the 14-room farmhouse. A second homicide case was filed against Mottard by officials of Suffolk County, where the farm was located. They had evidence that one of Mottard's rural abortion patients had suffered the same fate as Annie Allison.
Source: New York Times 4-10-25, 4-11-25, 4-12-25, 4-16-25, 4-17-25, 4-21-454-24-25, 4-25-25, 4-29-25, 5-5-25
Mottard alleged that Annie had died after an accidental fall down an elevator shaft at the premises. However, Annie's death certificate, signed by another physician, attributed her death to chronic cardiac nephritis.
In the wake of the autopsy's preliminary findings, Mottard was arrested on suspicion of homicide. The autopsy had shown no broken bones or other injuries consistent with a fatal fall, and therefore showed that Mottard had lied about the circumstances of Annie's death.
Police, who were investigating Mottard for his suspected involvement in a kidnap/adoption scheme, were suspicious and had Annie exhumed. It was revealed that she had died from an abortion.
A Grand Jury questioned many people: Dr. Norris, who had performed the autopsy; one of Annie's friends; the undertaker who buried Annie; Annie's brother; and the owner of the building where Annie had supposedly fallen to her death.
The kidnap/adoption scheme involved Lillian McKenzie, who as kidnapped from her baby buggy outside a store. Lillian's mother swore to police that Mildred Grofe, the adopted daughter of a New Jersey couple she'd visited, was actually Lillian. Lillian's mother evidently had been led to the Grofe family after a nurse reported having received two infants from Mottard, who instructed her to care for them. One infant was adopted out to the Grofe family. The other was sickly and was returned to Mottard's care. Upon investigation, the Grofe baby was found not to be Lillian McKenzie, because she was several months older than Lillian would have been.
During the investigation, police searched Mottard's ten-acre farm outside the city for evidence of more bodies after allegations arose that Mottard had also performed an abortion there on a young woman the previous January. Mottard admitted to having performed three abortions in the farmhouse, which was outside Long Island, but denied having performed the fatal one on Annie. The police were also searching for the remains of the sick baby the nurse had returned to Mottard's care. When questioned about the infant, Mottard was unable to give the police a satisfactory answer.
An operating room and a machine gun were found in the 14-room farmhouse. A second homicide case was filed against Mottard by officials of Suffolk County, where the farm was located. They had evidence that one of Mottard's rural abortion patients had suffered the same fate as Annie Allison.
Source: New York Times 4-10-25, 4-11-25, 4-12-25, 4-16-25, 4-17-25, 4-21-454-24-25, 4-25-25, 4-29-25, 5-5-25
Wednesday, September 28, 2005
Rhonda Hess, safe-n-legal anniversary
Rhonda Hess was 20 years old when she underwent a legal abortion. After the procedure, she developed an infection. The infection led to problems with clotting of the blood. Rhonda was taken to Moss Regional Hospital in Lake Charles, Louisiana, where she died on September 28, 1982.
Monday, September 26, 2005
On the subject of parental involvement....
Today we remember a teen who died of complications of a secret safe-n-legal abortion.
National Abortion Federation member Abu Hayat performed an abortion on 17-year-old Sophie McCoy on September 18, 1990. That evening, she was bleeding, in pain, and having difficulty breathing. The next day she was taken to a hospital and found to have a perforated uterus and a case of sepsis.
An emergency hysterectomy was performed, but Sophie developed disseminated intravascular coagulopathy and died on September 26.
Sophie's mother found paperwork for Hayat's facility in Sophie's coat pocket. The case was reported to the district attorney and the New York Health Department, but nobody took any action against Hayat until he pulled the arm off an infant during an abortion attempt in 1991.
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National Abortion Federation member Abu Hayat performed an abortion on 17-year-old Sophie McCoy on September 18, 1990. That evening, she was bleeding, in pain, and having difficulty breathing. The next day she was taken to a hospital and found to have a perforated uterus and a case of sepsis.
An emergency hysterectomy was performed, but Sophie developed disseminated intravascular coagulopathy and died on September 26.
Sophie's mother found paperwork for Hayat's facility in Sophie's coat pocket. The case was reported to the district attorney and the New York Health Department, but nobody took any action against Hayat until he pulled the arm off an infant during an abortion attempt in 1991.
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Sunday, September 25, 2005
Minnie Lathan and Liliana Cortez, safe-n-legal deaths remembered
Minnie Lathan is one of the women Life Dynamics identifies on their "Blackmun Wall" as having been killed by a legal abortion. Minnie was 41 when she had an abortion and tubal ligation performed some time in September of 1978. Her uterus was perforated and her colon damaged during the procedure. She developed an infection and was hospitalized at Cleveland Clinic Hospital. She died there on September 25.
Twenty-two-year-old Liliana Cortez underwent an abortion by Leo Kenneally at his Her Medical Clinic in Los Angeles on September 20, 1986. Other than having asthma, Liliana was in good health when she went for her abortion. After the procedure, she went into cardiac arrest. There was a 40-minute delay until the paramedics arrived to transport Liliana to a hospital. She died five days later. Liliana's death was ruled a "therapeutic misadventure," which a coroner's spokesman called, "a nice medical term for a mistake." Donna Heim and Michelle Thames also died after abortions at Her Medical Clinice. Maria Soto died there after being injected with drugs and left unattended on September 9, 1985.
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Twenty-two-year-old Liliana Cortez underwent an abortion by Leo Kenneally at his Her Medical Clinic in Los Angeles on September 20, 1986. Other than having asthma, Liliana was in good health when she went for her abortion. After the procedure, she went into cardiac arrest. There was a 40-minute delay until the paramedics arrived to transport Liliana to a hospital. She died five days later. Liliana's death was ruled a "therapeutic misadventure," which a coroner's spokesman called, "a nice medical term for a mistake." Donna Heim and Michelle Thames also died after abortions at Her Medical Clinice. Maria Soto died there after being injected with drugs and left unattended on September 9, 1985.
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Friday, September 23, 2005
Here's a proposal on "wrongful life" suits
Wisconsin state Senator Neal Kedzie has authored a bill that addresses "wrongful birth" and "wrongful life" suits, which Wisconsin residents are currently allowed to file against health providers that didn't facilitate prenatal diagnoses and abortions in pregnancies that result in the birth of a disabled child.
Prolifers support the bill, but
If these abortion supporters are so keen on women getting information, why aren't they backing a bill that would allow women to sue if a doctor failed to give her information that would have led her to reject abortion?
I've written to Sen. Kedzie regarding this.
Kedzie's bill, SB 71, creates a new law that would prevent the mother of a child born with a disability from claiming economic or noneconomic damages from a doctor on the basis that the doctor omitted a procedure, potentially revealing a disability, which led the mother to not have an abortion.
Also under Kedzie's bill, disabled children cannot claim damages on the basis that the doctor omitted a procedure that could have potentially revealed a disability, which led to the mother's decision to not have an abortion.
Wrongful life and wrongful birth lawsuits set a discomforting precedent, Kedzie said in his testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee. The committee took no action on the bill.
"These lawsuits are based on the idea that the lives of certain people-disabled people-are inherently wrong, and that death is preferable to life with disabilities," said Kedzie, R-Elkhorn. "The very idea that a person's birth or life is wrong is repugnant to me."
Prolifers support the bill, but
But Kelda Helen Roy, executive director of NARAL Pro Choice Wisconsin, said in a written statement that Kedzie's bill, which she called the "right to lie" bill, endangers the rights of pregnant women and is "an unprecedented attack on medical ethics and patients' rights."
"It encourages doctors to withhold critical information from patients that would allow them to make fully informed decisions about their own health care," she said. ,,,,
A legislative council analysis of Kedzie's bill shows that people could claim damages if a doctor is found to be intentionally negligent or intentionally withholding medical information from a patient. ....
Nicole Safar, public policy analyst for Planned Parenthood, said the bill hinders the ability of women to have abortions.
"The purpose of this bill is to place an undue burden in the path of a woman seeking an abortion, by depriving her of information needed to make an informed choice," Safar said in written remarks.
If these abortion supporters are so keen on women getting information, why aren't they backing a bill that would allow women to sue if a doctor failed to give her information that would have led her to reject abortion?
I've written to Sen. Kedzie regarding this.
Abortion leaves five children motherless
"Barbara" was 35 years old when she traveled from Michigan to New York for a safe and legal abortion in 1971. She was 20 weeks pregnant. Within 24 hours of being injected with saline for the abortion, she went into convulsions, then her heart stoped. Efforts to save her failed. She died on September 23, 1971, leaving behind five children. The autopsy could find no anatomical cause of death.
We can look at Barbara as an example of pre-Roe deaths, or as an example of deaths from saline abortions. But there's no way we can look at her and see a justification of leaving five children motherless.
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We can look at Barbara as an example of pre-Roe deaths, or as an example of deaths from saline abortions. But there's no way we can look at her and see a justification of leaving five children motherless.
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Thursday, September 22, 2005
Linda Boom, safe-n-legal death
Linda Boom, age 35, went to Sinai Samaritan Medical Center in Milwaukee for an abortion on September 21, 1995. Linda learned that she was pregnant in June of 1995, but in September elected abortion because the fetus had been diagnosed with Down Syndrome.
Fourth-year resident Karen S. Watson administered an amnioinfusion. Linda reported pain and said she was "burning up all over." Watson's supervising physician, Daniel Gilman, injected more chemicals into Linda's uterus. Dennis Boom's attorney, Patrick Dunphy, said that the two injections caused the heart damage that killed Linda 36 hours after the first injection.
Watson did not use ultrasound to guide the needle injecting the poison into Linda, and apparently she injected the chemicals directly into Linda's bloodstream instead of into the amniotic sac.
The defense, of course, says that there was no negligence. Also, the hospital says that Gilman is responsible for Linda's death, because he performed the second injection and was supervising Watson. Gilman can't be named in the suit because the statute of limitations expired before Linda's husband filed.
According to the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, Gilman "had performed more than 100 abortions." Watson has started an ob/gyn practice in Milwaukee.
News coverage of the case does not indicate why Watson and Gilman chose the antiquated instillation technique for Linda's abortion. Since the late 1960s, nations such as Sweden, Japan, and the Soviet Union had abandoned instillation abortions as being far too dangerous for the mother. US abortionists began abandoning the technique in the mid-1980s.
As the case continues, I'll be attempting to speak to Dunphy and learn more about the case, such as what the chemical was that Watson used (I suspect it was hypertonic saline, from Linda's report that she was "burning up all over."), what medical justification, if any, Watson had for choosing the defunct instillation technique, and what steps staff took to address Linda's symptoms beyond giving her a second injection.
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Fourth-year resident Karen S. Watson administered an amnioinfusion. Linda reported pain and said she was "burning up all over." Watson's supervising physician, Daniel Gilman, injected more chemicals into Linda's uterus. Dennis Boom's attorney, Patrick Dunphy, said that the two injections caused the heart damage that killed Linda 36 hours after the first injection.
Watson did not use ultrasound to guide the needle injecting the poison into Linda, and apparently she injected the chemicals directly into Linda's bloodstream instead of into the amniotic sac.
The defense, of course, says that there was no negligence. Also, the hospital says that Gilman is responsible for Linda's death, because he performed the second injection and was supervising Watson. Gilman can't be named in the suit because the statute of limitations expired before Linda's husband filed.
According to the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, Gilman "had performed more than 100 abortions." Watson has started an ob/gyn practice in Milwaukee.
News coverage of the case does not indicate why Watson and Gilman chose the antiquated instillation technique for Linda's abortion. Since the late 1960s, nations such as Sweden, Japan, and the Soviet Union had abandoned instillation abortions as being far too dangerous for the mother. US abortionists began abandoning the technique in the mid-1980s.
As the case continues, I'll be attempting to speak to Dunphy and learn more about the case, such as what the chemical was that Watson used (I suspect it was hypertonic saline, from Linda's report that she was "burning up all over."), what medical justification, if any, Watson had for choosing the defunct instillation technique, and what steps staff took to address Linda's symptoms beyond giving her a second injection.
For more abortion deaths, visit the Cemetery of Choice:
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Pre-Roe Safe-n-Legal Anniversary
"Amanda" was 19 years old when she traveled from Indiana to New York for a legal abortion in 1970. She was 12 weeks pregnant. The doctor performed the abortion on September 3. He was unable to remove any of the fetus or placenta. For some reason, he did not suspect a problem. He discharged Amanda and she returned home.
Upon her return home, she suffered from pain, nausea, and vomiting, so she sought care from a physician in her community. She was admitted to the hospital with a perforated uterus. Her doctor performed a lapartotomy, and found that the fetus was still inside Amanda's perforated uterus. The abortion was completed and the hole in her uterus was repaired.
After the surgery, she had a series of complications beginning with difficulty breathing. On September 10, doctors performed a hysterectomy. She continued to be treated in the hospital, but despite all their efforts she died on September 22.
Other women and girls who died of legal abortions before Roe include
The bodies were already piling up, mostly in New York and California due to their extremely lax abortion laws, long before Roe came down the pike.
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Upon her return home, she suffered from pain, nausea, and vomiting, so she sought care from a physician in her community. She was admitted to the hospital with a perforated uterus. Her doctor performed a lapartotomy, and found that the fetus was still inside Amanda's perforated uterus. The abortion was completed and the hole in her uterus was repaired.
After the surgery, she had a series of complications beginning with difficulty breathing. On September 10, doctors performed a hysterectomy. She continued to be treated in the hospital, but despite all their efforts she died on September 22.
Other women and girls who died of legal abortions before Roe include
- Cassandra Bleavins, 1971
- Twila Coulter, 1972
- Margaret Davis, 1971
- Gwendolyn Drummer, 1972
- Janet Forster, 1971
- Betty Hines, 1971
- Denise Holmes, 1970
- Sara Lint, 1970
- Natalie Meyers, 1972
- Katherine Morse, 1972
- Maria Ortega, 1970
- Erika Peterson, 1961
- "Alice" Roe, 1970
- "Amy" Roe, 1971
- "Annie" Roe, 1971
- "Andrea" Roe, 1971
- "Anita" Roe, 1971
- "April" Roe, 1971
- "Audrey" Roe, 1971
- "Barbara" Roe, 1971
- "Beth" Roe, 1971
- "Connie" Roe, 1972
- "Danielle" Roe, 1972
- "Judy" Roe, 1970
- "Julie" Roe, 1972
- "Kimberly" Roe, 1970
- "Monica" Roe, 1971
- "Robin" Roe, 1972
- "Roseanne" Roe, 1971
- "Roxanne" Roe, 1972
- "Sandra" Roe, 1971
- "Sheryl" Roe, 1970
- "Tammy" Roe, 1971
- "Vicki" Roe, 1971
- LaSandra Russ, 1971
- F.S., 1970
- Stella Saenz, 1968
- Carole Schaner, 1971
- Margaret Smith, 1971
- Kathryn Strong, 1972
- Cheryl Vosseler, 1969
The bodies were already piling up, mostly in New York and California due to their extremely lax abortion laws, long before Roe came down the pike.
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Tuesday, September 20, 2005
Blog roundup: PP publicity, the death penalty, etc.
Freakonomics has an interesting thread going, Planned Parenthood Gets Freaky. As if PP isn't freaky to begin with. At any rate, one PP is trying to discourage a prolife presence by having donors pledge money to PP proportionate to the number of protesters outside. Hey, guys! It's been tried before and it failed miserably, mainly because the pittance given to PP in these publicity stunt fund-raisers is a drop in the bucket of all the money PP gets from the government and big-money donors. If some deluded sap thinks giving a dime to PP every time I show up to protest will get me to stay home, he's welcome to throw his money at them. He's harming his own pocket (and soul), and not doing me or anybody else any more harm than he does by being a PP dupe in the first place.
Ravin posted some thoughts on abortion. I've invited her to join us at RealChoice and After Abortion.
Fast Times at Kanakuk High ponders, How about this can you be anti-abortion and pro death penalty. She or he doesn't have comments enabled, so I'll give a short, sweet answer here: When you show me an armed, aggressive fetus who's committed murder, I'll discuss the parallels between abortion and capital punishment.
LTI Blog says, Actions Speak Louder and ponders why women still have abortions even when they say they know it kills a baby.
Gindy posts the Chinese Abortion Headline of the Day: "China admits forced abortions, sterilisations in eastern province". I'm really going to have to peruse this blog. The names of the previous posts are certainly provocative.
Ravin posted some thoughts on abortion. I've invited her to join us at RealChoice and After Abortion.
Fast Times at Kanakuk High ponders, How about this can you be anti-abortion and pro death penalty. She or he doesn't have comments enabled, so I'll give a short, sweet answer here: When you show me an armed, aggressive fetus who's committed murder, I'll discuss the parallels between abortion and capital punishment.
LTI Blog says, Actions Speak Louder and ponders why women still have abortions even when they say they know it kills a baby.
Gindy posts the Chinese Abortion Headline of the Day: "China admits forced abortions, sterilisations in eastern province". I'm really going to have to peruse this blog. The names of the previous posts are certainly provocative.
The Double Standard Redux
We all know that according to the abortion lobby, we don't need informed consent laws because women contemplating abortion are smart, educated, and resourceful enough to find this information on their own (Which means they'd have to go to a university library and sort through decades of conflicting and confusing medical journal articles and decipher what the risks are to them given their own individual medical histories!), but they need Federal funding to "inform them of the availability of safe, legal abortion," as if these same women are too clueless to open the Yellow Pages and read a ad.
Well, Emily at After Abortion takes a look at the double standard when it comes to women's emotional strength. Evidently, according to the abortion lobby, women are emotionally resilient enough to go through the entire stress of being pregnant and troubled, emotionally abandoned, pressured, maybe abused, et cetera, and make a sound decision to abort with no emotinal trauma, but after the abortion they're fragile little flowers that will be sent into a spiral of shame and despair if they hear some other woman talk about how she regrets her own abortion.
I guess since fetuses change their nature so readily to the abortion lobby (changing from worthless blobs of tissue to precious unborn children depending on their mother's mood), the women themselves are equally malleable. Their nature changes according to the mood of the abortion lobby.
Well, Emily at After Abortion takes a look at the double standard when it comes to women's emotional strength. Evidently, according to the abortion lobby, women are emotionally resilient enough to go through the entire stress of being pregnant and troubled, emotionally abandoned, pressured, maybe abused, et cetera, and make a sound decision to abort with no emotinal trauma, but after the abortion they're fragile little flowers that will be sent into a spiral of shame and despair if they hear some other woman talk about how she regrets her own abortion.
I guess since fetuses change their nature so readily to the abortion lobby (changing from worthless blobs of tissue to precious unborn children depending on their mother's mood), the women themselves are equally malleable. Their nature changes according to the mood of the abortion lobby.
Monday, September 19, 2005
Blog Roundup -- Graphic images, poetry, teens
LTI Blog posts this reflection on when it's appropriate to use graphic images to reach the abortion-minded woman. This is a great piece! Read it!
Feeding on that which doth preserve the Ill posted an odd pro-abortion poem. Why is it that prolife poetry is so sappy, like those Precious Moments figurines, and prochoice poetry is so raw and semi-articulate, like gangsta rap?
Initiative Madness has thoughtful comments on California's Proposition 73, promoting parental involvement in teens' abortion decisions. Take a moment to review Why Teens Need Help With Decision-Making, and Parental Involvement in Abortion.
On a totally unrelated local note, I want to take a moment to caution people to have only very cautious dealings with Jeff Minana of Johnstown, PA.
Feeding on that which doth preserve the Ill posted an odd pro-abortion poem. Why is it that prolife poetry is so sappy, like those Precious Moments figurines, and prochoice poetry is so raw and semi-articulate, like gangsta rap?
Initiative Madness has thoughtful comments on California's Proposition 73, promoting parental involvement in teens' abortion decisions. Take a moment to review Why Teens Need Help With Decision-Making, and Parental Involvement in Abortion.
On a totally unrelated local note, I want to take a moment to caution people to have only very cautious dealings with Jeff Minana of Johnstown, PA.
Safe-n-legal anniversaries: Cassandra Bleavins and Michelle Thames
Cassandra Bleavins, a 20-year-old clerk, had an abortion performed on her at John Wesley Hospital, owned by Los Angeles County, on September 2, 1971. She bled heavily after the abortion, and a doctor tied off a portion of her cervix to control the bleeding. She was then sent home. On September 15, Cassandra returned to the hospital, reporting heavy bleeding. She was given a follow-up D&C and again sent home. She returned again on September 17, still bleeding heavily, and went into convulsions during treatment. Cassandra slipped into a coma. Staff trasferred Cassandra to LA County/USC Medical Center on September 18. She died after midnight on the 19th. The coroner discovered a 1.25 inch sutured laceration in Cassandra's uterus, additional sutures to her uterine artery, and uterine hemorrhaging. The medical examiner concluded that Cassandra had bled to death due to the lacerations and D&C.
Eighteen-year-old Michelle Thames suffered a seizure during her abortion at Her Medical Clinic on September 19, 1987. She died later that day. Her family filed suit, claiming that Her Medical Clinic staff had made inadequate attempts to resuscitate Michelle.
Michelle wasn't the only young woman to die at the notorious Her Medical Clinic, run by abortionist Leo Kenneally. Liliana Cortez died there September 20, 1986. Donna Heim died there August 12, 1986. And Maria Soto died there after being injected with drugs and left unattended on September 9, 1985.
The battle over Kenneally's medical license turned political after it was suspended by the medical board over the appalling conditions at Her Medical Clinic. Former state medical board executive director Dixon Arnett's said that Leo F. Kenneally's case was "the most egregious I have seen, bar none." But a judge restored Kenneally's license on the grounds that he was doing a public service "providing abortions" in an "underserved area."
The investigation of patient deaths wasn't the first time Kenneally got in trouble. His license had been suspended in 1979 for Medi-Cal theft, and previously in 1975 for records-keeping violations.
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Eighteen-year-old Michelle Thames suffered a seizure during her abortion at Her Medical Clinic on September 19, 1987. She died later that day. Her family filed suit, claiming that Her Medical Clinic staff had made inadequate attempts to resuscitate Michelle.
Michelle wasn't the only young woman to die at the notorious Her Medical Clinic, run by abortionist Leo Kenneally. Liliana Cortez died there September 20, 1986. Donna Heim died there August 12, 1986. And Maria Soto died there after being injected with drugs and left unattended on September 9, 1985.
The battle over Kenneally's medical license turned political after it was suspended by the medical board over the appalling conditions at Her Medical Clinic. Former state medical board executive director Dixon Arnett's said that Leo F. Kenneally's case was "the most egregious I have seen, bar none." But a judge restored Kenneally's license on the grounds that he was doing a public service "providing abortions" in an "underserved area."
The investigation of patient deaths wasn't the first time Kenneally got in trouble. His license had been suspended in 1979 for Medi-Cal theft, and previously in 1975 for records-keeping violations.
For more abortion deaths, visit the Cemetery of Choice:
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Sunday, September 18, 2005
Blog Roundup
A Certain Slant of Light checks out The Starbucks Divide.
Prolifers in Colorado are pushing the Attorney General to investigate suspected abortion industry abuses.
Espresso Roast laments a court decision in favor of Missouri abortionists.
CPC World News reports that CPCs in the area hit by Katrina are in desperate need. Hospitals are sending women to them for help. Here's a chance to show what we're made of!
Prolifers in Colorado are pushing the Attorney General to investigate suspected abortion industry abuses.
Espresso Roast laments a court decision in favor of Missouri abortionists.
CPC World News reports that CPCs in the area hit by Katrina are in desperate need. Hospitals are sending women to them for help. Here's a chance to show what we're made of!
Tiller-bashers vindicated; death due to screw-up
Operation Rescue posted an update on the 19-year-old developmentally-disabled Texas woman who died after an abortion at Tiller's mill. I had hedged, refusing to blame him until it was clear that the death really was his fault. The autopsy results are in. Christin A. Gilbert died of sepsis that evidently went undiagnosed and untreated long enough to injure her vital organs beyond repair.
I'll be updating her case on my site later. May she rest in peace.
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Another sad anniversary: Kathy McKnight
Thirty-six-year-old Kathy McKnight underwent an abortion on September 17, 1993. Early the next morning, Kathy had trouble breathing. She was taken to University Memorial Hospital in Charlotte, North Carolina. Kathy died in the emergency room. Her autopsy revealed that she died of a pulmonary embolism.
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For more abortion deaths, visit the Cemetery of Choice:
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Friday, September 16, 2005
RU-486 anniversary
Today, September 17, is the anniversary of the needless death of Holly Patterson in 2003. Let's not forget the RU-486 deaths, or the sloppy practices that cost these women their lives.
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For more abortion deaths, visit the Cemetery of Choice:
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A lot of sad anniversaries
The first is a criminal abortion death. Helen Clark, age 23, died September 16, 1941. The abortionist, Sarah Howe, age 57, had been blind since she was three years old. She was charged in Sarah's death. Howe was convicted of abortion, but was found not guilty of manslaughter. She was sentenced to two to four years in prison.
But you don't need a blind criminal abortionist to end up dead.
Alerte Desanges, age 36, had been informed that her fetus was deformed, so she went for an abortion at Choices Women's Medical Center in Queens on September 16, 1994. She was 19 weeks pregnant. The abortion was performed by David Gluck. Staff said that after her abortion she suddenly went into cardiac arrest and died. Gluck's license had been revoked for three years after selling controlled substances to finance his gambling addiction. Gluck had also been Medical Director at C.R.A.S.H. when abortion patient "K.B." died.
Shelby A. Moran, age 39, was given Prostaglandin for an abortion at Illinois Masonic Medical Center in January of 1978. Immediately after the injection, Shelby experienced grossly elevated blood pressure. The abortionist, Dr. John J. Barton, thought that the elevation would be transient, and left the facility. Half an hour later, Shelby went into cardiopulmonary arrest. She suffered brain damage due to lack of oxygen, causing dementia and speech aphasia. Shelby was no longer able to care for herself, much less her five children. She required 24-hour care in a nursing home until her death on September 16, 1999.
Gracealynn "Tammy" Harris, age 19, underwent an abortion by Dr. Mohammad Imran at Delaware Women's Health Organization on September 16, 1997. She was 18 weeks pregnant. After the procedure, Tammy was weak, and needed a wheelchair to leave the facility. She died that day. A lawsuit resulted in $2,252,000 to Tammy's family. The money was put into a court-controlled account for Tammy's son, who was nine months old when his mother died.
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But you don't need a blind criminal abortionist to end up dead.
Alerte Desanges, age 36, had been informed that her fetus was deformed, so she went for an abortion at Choices Women's Medical Center in Queens on September 16, 1994. She was 19 weeks pregnant. The abortion was performed by David Gluck. Staff said that after her abortion she suddenly went into cardiac arrest and died. Gluck's license had been revoked for three years after selling controlled substances to finance his gambling addiction. Gluck had also been Medical Director at C.R.A.S.H. when abortion patient "K.B." died.
Shelby A. Moran, age 39, was given Prostaglandin for an abortion at Illinois Masonic Medical Center in January of 1978. Immediately after the injection, Shelby experienced grossly elevated blood pressure. The abortionist, Dr. John J. Barton, thought that the elevation would be transient, and left the facility. Half an hour later, Shelby went into cardiopulmonary arrest. She suffered brain damage due to lack of oxygen, causing dementia and speech aphasia. Shelby was no longer able to care for herself, much less her five children. She required 24-hour care in a nursing home until her death on September 16, 1999.
Gracealynn "Tammy" Harris, age 19, underwent an abortion by Dr. Mohammad Imran at Delaware Women's Health Organization on September 16, 1997. She was 18 weeks pregnant. After the procedure, Tammy was weak, and needed a wheelchair to leave the facility. She died that day. A lawsuit resulted in $2,252,000 to Tammy's family. The money was put into a court-controlled account for Tammy's son, who was nine months old when his mother died.
For more abortion deaths, visit the Cemetery of Choice:
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Thursday, September 15, 2005
Safe-n-legal: Janet Foster
Eighteen-year-old Janet Foster underwent an abortion at the hands of Richard Neal at Valley Doctors' Hospital in North Hollywood, California on September 11, 1971. Janet's abortion had been a "therapeutic" abortion approved by the hospital committee, as was required at the time. Neal reported that he'd estimated the pregnancy at 12-weeks and performed what he thought was an uneventful suction abortion.
Janet's brother-in-law reported that she was very weak and sleepy when he picked her up at the hospital. After returning home, Janet suffered abdominal pain, and called Neal on September 14. He told her he'd see her the next day. Janet felt ill, so she went to bed early. In the early morning hours, Janet went into convulsions.
Her brother-in-law and paramedics attempted to revive her, to no avail; Janet was pronounced dead at 3:55 am. The autopsy found that in Janet's uterus was a "macerated, lacerated and purulent male fetus of about 19 weeks gestation. This fetus measures 14.5 cm. in crown-rump length, shows lacerations in the shoulder area, evisceration of the bowel through an abdominal laceration, and destruction of the skull and facila structures." Janet's uterus also contained "approximately 20 cc. of red-brown purulent and foul-smelling liquid with similar odor and color to an exudate on the endometrial surface." Janet's death attrubuted to septicemia due to "incomplete abortion, therapeutic, septic."
An LA County grand jury indicted Neal on a felony manlsaughter charge in Janet's death. The 1976 trial ended with a hung jury.
Janet wasn't the first, or the last, woman to think she was about to undergo a first-trimester abortion, only to end up undergoing a late (and possibly lethal) late abortion. Some whose cases I've written up include "Taranda," age 17, who went to Family Planning Clinic for Reproductive Health what she thought was a 6 week abortion on December 22, 1989. Four days later, Taranda gave birth to a one pound, critically ill infant girl.
"Jean" thought she was in the first trimester when she went for an abortion on November 20, 1973. At 5AM on November 22, Jean's mother-in-law rushed her to the emergency room, where she expelled a severely mutilated 19-week female fetus.
Fred H. Pulver voluntarily surrendered his medical license at the age of 79 in the wake of allegations regarding his January 18, 1990 attempt to perform an abortion on a woman who gave birth to a three-pound, 27-week baby boy five days later. Pulver had estimated the pregnancy as 11 weeks.
"Francine," age 16, went to All Women's Health Center for an abortion in August of 1986. Abortionist Harold Ticton estimated the pregnancy at three months. Upon removing the fetal arm, he realized that the fetus was actually seven months. Francine had the dead fetus removed by c-section, was admitted to the intensive care unit, and was hospitalized for over a week.
And other women besides Janet have ended up dead as a result of abortionists' choices to proceed with abortions when the pregnancy was far more advanced than the woman had thought. They include Eurice Agbaaga, Magdalena Rodriguez, and Maria Ortega.
For more abortion deaths, visit the Cemetery of Choice:
To email this post to a friend, use the icon below.
Janet's brother-in-law reported that she was very weak and sleepy when he picked her up at the hospital. After returning home, Janet suffered abdominal pain, and called Neal on September 14. He told her he'd see her the next day. Janet felt ill, so she went to bed early. In the early morning hours, Janet went into convulsions.
Her brother-in-law and paramedics attempted to revive her, to no avail; Janet was pronounced dead at 3:55 am. The autopsy found that in Janet's uterus was a "macerated, lacerated and purulent male fetus of about 19 weeks gestation. This fetus measures 14.5 cm. in crown-rump length, shows lacerations in the shoulder area, evisceration of the bowel through an abdominal laceration, and destruction of the skull and facila structures." Janet's uterus also contained "approximately 20 cc. of red-brown purulent and foul-smelling liquid with similar odor and color to an exudate on the endometrial surface." Janet's death attrubuted to septicemia due to "incomplete abortion, therapeutic, septic."
An LA County grand jury indicted Neal on a felony manlsaughter charge in Janet's death. The 1976 trial ended with a hung jury.
Janet wasn't the first, or the last, woman to think she was about to undergo a first-trimester abortion, only to end up undergoing a late (and possibly lethal) late abortion. Some whose cases I've written up include "Taranda," age 17, who went to Family Planning Clinic for Reproductive Health what she thought was a 6 week abortion on December 22, 1989. Four days later, Taranda gave birth to a one pound, critically ill infant girl.
"Jean" thought she was in the first trimester when she went for an abortion on November 20, 1973. At 5AM on November 22, Jean's mother-in-law rushed her to the emergency room, where she expelled a severely mutilated 19-week female fetus.
Fred H. Pulver voluntarily surrendered his medical license at the age of 79 in the wake of allegations regarding his January 18, 1990 attempt to perform an abortion on a woman who gave birth to a three-pound, 27-week baby boy five days later. Pulver had estimated the pregnancy as 11 weeks.
"Francine," age 16, went to All Women's Health Center for an abortion in August of 1986. Abortionist Harold Ticton estimated the pregnancy at three months. Upon removing the fetal arm, he realized that the fetus was actually seven months. Francine had the dead fetus removed by c-section, was admitted to the intensive care unit, and was hospitalized for over a week.
And other women besides Janet have ended up dead as a result of abortionists' choices to proceed with abortions when the pregnancy was far more advanced than the woman had thought. They include Eurice Agbaaga, Magdalena Rodriguez, and Maria Ortega.
For more abortion deaths, visit the Cemetery of Choice:
To email this post to a friend, use the icon below.
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