Woman Hospitalized From Botched Abortion Dies From Complications

lifenews.com ^ | January 27, 2005 | by Steven Ertelt

[underlying]

Wichita, KS (LifeNews.com) -- A Kansas woman rushed to a local hospital after her abortion at a late-term abortion facility was botched has died. The 32 year-old woman was transported to Wesley Medical Center on January 13 from the abortion business owned and operated by late-term abortion practitioner George Tiller.

According to one source, who spoke with the pro-life group Operation Rescue, she arrived at the hospital with "severe hemorrhaging" and died "a few days later" from undetermined causes the source said "are very likely to be the result of a botched abortion."

According to 911 transcripts the group obtained, Tiller employee Marguerite Reed called for an ambulance after the abortion was botched.

The record indicates Reed was "very evasive" and "refused to give any information about the patient."

Later, Reed told 911 operators the woman suffered from "pain above the belly button." Reed said the woman was awake and alert and did not suffer from chest pain.

Troy Newman, president of the group, called on Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius to ask the Kansas Board of Health Arts, which monitors doctors in the state, to investigate. His group filed a complaint with the state agency.

He also faulted Governor Sebelius for vetoing a bill that would have further regulated abortion facilities.

"I question the judgment of Governor Sebelius in vetoing the clinic regulation act," Newman said.

"That statue could very well have prevented this needless and tragic death," Newman added. "Our prayer of concern and sympathy go out to the family and loved ones for the untimely death of mother and child."

Operation Rescue officials say this is the fourth ambulance trip from Tiller's abortion facility to Wesley in the last 13 months.

Related web sites:
View the 911 transcript -
http://www.operationrescue.org/gallery/view_photo.php?set_albumName=album09&id=911_Transcript

[hocndoc]

After 15 weeks, it's much safer to carry the child to term and delivery than to undergo an elective abortion. That's one reason that the people of Texas have decided that all abortions after 15 weeks must be done in ambulatory surgical centers or hospitals. And we don't allow elective abortions after 23 weeks, only those for health reasons (although the definition of "health" is wider than I'd like and includes fetal anomaly.)

[FITZ]

I think it depends on the region.

[penowa]

"I am a veterinarian which means that I am considered by more than a few a substandard practitioner of medicine."

Not in my book you aren't. I have been around TB's (not to mention my pet dogs) all my life and have at times wished for an MD for myself half as good, knowledgable, and caring as my VMD!

[FITZ]

All legality did was legalize what the abortionists were already doing --- and many of the back-alley abortionists were the same kind of doctors --- so bad they couldn't ever practice real medicine --- saving lives is an art. It doesn't take much knowledge to cut a baby into pieces to kill it.

A coat hanger can perforate a uterus and a scalpel can do it just as well.

[TigersEye]

What is safer? Giving birth or having an abortion? Abortion always kills the baby but does it ever save the mother? Anyway, here is what abortion is not.

Abortion is not about saving women’s lives!

Total Abortions since 1973

46,023,191

------------------------------------------------------------

Why the drop after 1960? (in deaths of women from illegal abortions)

The reasons were new and better antibiotics, better surgery and the establishment of intensive care units in hospitals. This was in the face of a rising population. Between 1967 and 1970 sixteen states legalized abortion. In most it was limited, only for rape, incest and severe fetal handicap (life of mother was legal in all states). There were two big exceptions — California in 1967, and New York in 1970 allowed abortion on demand. Now look at the chart carefully.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Abortion Statistics - Decision to Have an Abortion (U.S.)

· 25.5% of women deciding to have an abortion want to postpone childbearing

· 21.3% of women cannot afford a baby

· 14.1% of women have a relationship issue or their partner does not want a child

· 12.2% of women are too young (their parents or others object to the pregnancy)

· 10.8% of women feel a child will disrupt their education or career

· 7.9% of women want no (more) children

· 3.3% of women have an abortion due to a risk to fetal health

2.8% of women have an abortion due to a risk to maternal health

----------------------------------------------------------------------

So how many women’s lives have been saved by abortion?

Only about 3% of abortions since 1972 were reported to be “due to a risk to maternal health.” A reasonable person would recognize that not all of those cases represent a lethal risk. But let’s say they did. That means that nearly 45 million fetuses were butchered to save the lives of about 1.3 million women. Or put another way; 35 babies are killed to save each woman.

Abortion was legal in all 50 states prior to Roe v. Wade in cases of danger to the life of the woman.

[TigersEye]

According to 911 transcripts the group obtained, Tiller employee Marguerite Reed called for an ambulance after the abortion was botched. The record indicates Reed was "very evasive" and "refused to give any information about the patient."

How can the abortionist be considered any kind of doctor? He botches the procedure and then refuses to cooperate with vital information for the doctors who have to clean up his mess? The only ethic there is CYA.

[Cicero]

We should hate the sin and not the sinner. I agree that this woman should have known better. She could have carried her baby to term and offered it for adoption if she had reasons for not wanting a child.

It's still a sad business. I take no pleasure in the death of a sinner.

Father Frank Pavone, founder of Priests for Life, was invited to speak at our parish in Scarsdale many years ago. I remember his saying that with each abortion the woman suffers as well as the baby, and that it was not too late for even women who have had numerous abortions to repent their sins and stop killing their babies.

After Roe v. Wade was announced, Leftists imagined that they would win the battle because all the women who had abortions would become lifetime supporters of abortion and vote accordingly. That has not proven to be the case. Some of them are hopeless and never learn, but many have learned, repented, and come over to the side of life. This young woman will never have that chance for repentance and conversion.

[vetvetdoug]

Thanks for the links. I know that the physicians average salaries in this area, even though it is economically depressed, are far greater than the national average according to the article you linked me to. Knowing the particular strength of the physicians' control of the hospital and surgery center, I understand why the physicians of this area's salaries are far above the national average. Insurance companies keep reminding us that the cost of surgery and procedures here are greater than other areas of the country. The local cardiologists, two of them, are well paid. One even owns an island in the Caribbean and flies his Lear Jet to it for vacations. I believe that physicians that have local control over hospitals and have no HMO's to contend with are well compensated.

[Ladysmith]

Exactly right.

[reg45]

I guess George wasn't satisfied with killing only children!

[reg45]

Tiller is one of the highest-paid docs in the US. His net has been close to a million a year. OBs that are established (that means, out of school debt and with a thriving practice) at the top of their careers net (before taxes and malpractice insurance) about $200K.

George doesn't carry much malpractice insurance. After all most of his patients die. He could only get sued if the patient (baby) lives.

[Mamzelle]

You know, I hear this kind of resentment all the time, including the legendary Lear Jets-- which are around $12M just to start--it makes me kind of dubious that you're a medical professional at all. Sort of a giveaway that you think you're regarded as "substandard" by docs of homo sapiens. That's such nonsense. You might be surprised at how envied vets are for being able to practice a common-sense kind of medicine. Just doesn't ring true to my ears.

There are a lot of hugely wealthy physicians, but if you take a look (one that's not clouded through a haze of resentful green) you'll see that they either inherited their wealth or that they own a business or have been canny investors. The wealth has not come from fees. You might try the business thing, yourself, when you stop pouting.

[vetvetdoug]

A close friend of mine, Bill Leech, was the former attorney general of Tennessee, and stated to me, Never argue with a fool and in your case he was correct.

[TigersEye]

Your statement about why some docs are rich rings quite true to me. My father was a doctor who had no side business was a lousy invester and never sent overdue bills to collections unless they were outrageously big incredibly late and he knew the patient had some means to pay. He never lived big yet still died in debt from spending more than he took in. All of his doc friends who did have big money got it through investments.

He was just a GP in family practice so his malpractice insurance was a pittance compared to an OB-GYN so that wasn't squeezing his ability to bring home a bigger net. You've got it right.

[Nataku X]

wow... :(

[vetvetdoug]

Since this discussion MSN news today has an average of the pay surgeons make. I talked with two of my friends, orthopods, and they make >$300K per year and the local cardiologist makes >$500K. There is something about not having to deal with HMO's and local control of the hospital that makes the job more lucrative than other locales.