One year, one state, thousands of abortion complications
Jill Stanek directs a disturbing Chicago Tribune article to our attention. It documents an extraordinary number of abortion complications in the state of Illinois, many of which go unreported. Abortion centers are supposed to report complications to the Department of Public Health, but of course, we really can’t trust them to report on their own wrongdoing:
This reporting is the only tool Illinois authorities have to monitor some abortion providers, yet regulators may be allowing doctors and clinics to operate off the books. Regulators collect reports from 26 providers, but the abortion rights research group has identified 37 providers doing business in the state. Also unknown to officials are the types of abortion-related problems experienced by women. Nearly 4,000 reports of abortion complications involving Illinois residents in 2009 were missing the required description.
Let me emphasize that last sentence. Only a fraction of abortion complications are reported. Only a fraction of those don’t have a description. And you still get FOUR THOUSAND abortion complications in just one year! Bear in mind that there are only 37 abortion businesses in the state, so I’m willing to bet that every single one has injured or killed at least one woman. How can the Tribune justify saying that “abortion has proven to be a very safe procedure” in the face of these numbers? My guess: that line was thrown in by a pro-abortion editor after the story was written. I cannot imagine any journalist who supports abortion writing this piece.
Moving on…
Health care providers who intentionally fail to submit accurate and complete reports are committing a criminal act, and a failure to report abortion complications is grounds for revoking their licenses, but the Department of Public Health has never sought disciplinary action against a provider.
If that’s true, the Illinois Department of Public Health is complicit in the phyical injuries and deaths of who knows how many women.
The Tribune discovered these deficiencies by doing what our AbortionSafety.com researchers are doing– looking to medical malpractice records:
In certain medical malpractice cases reviewed by the Tribune, women said they were never informed by their provider that the abortion was unsuccessful and later underwent challenging pregnancies, painful deliveries and other complications.
Others suffered anesthesia-related problems, hemorrhaging and infections, according to the suits.
…
Some providers identified by the Tribune refused to discuss reporting.
Others, such as Planned Parenthood and Family Planning Associates, said they were diligent about complying and concerned if others were not.
“It is useful public health information. … We’d hope all providers would comply,” said Carole Brite, president of Planned Parenthood of Illinois.
At the same time, Planned Parenthood could not confirm for the Tribune whether it had reported the 2002 death of Stevenson’s wife, only that it had reported the 2008 death of another patient. The organization said it had no reason to believe the 2002 death was not reported but that the records were in storage.
And Family Planning Associates said it could not confirm whether it had reported three deaths, in 1998, 1999 and 2000.
A woman who identified herself as a manager of the Women’s Aid Clinic of Lincolnwood would not comment on a 2009 death.
The Tribune identified these deaths as part of its review of malpractice suits.
Translation: “I care a lot about abortion complications. I just don’t want women to know that they’re happening at my clinic.” I wouldn’t expect anything less.
Bottom line?
“It’s outrageous,” declared Maurice Stevenson, whose wife died in 2002 from infection following an abortion at a Planned Parenthood clinic in Chicago. “These procedures, complications and deaths should be public record.”
If you want women to be informed about shoddy abortionists– not only in Illinois, but across the country– please consider making a donation to AbortionSafety.com. Mrs. Stevenson deserved to know. ALL women deserve to know! AbortionSafety.com will make lifesaving information freely available to women who are facing crisis pregnancies.
One of the earliest pro-life books I read was “Handbook on Abortion” by Dr. Jack Willke and his wife. It argued that legalization wasn’t really reducing illegal abortion because of the threat of disclosure, e. g. a wife would have an illegal abortion because her husband would find out if she had it done legally, or that a minor would have an illegal abortion because she was afraid her boyfriend or parents would find out otherwise. Well, to ensure privacy they became lax on all record-keeping, and so the quality of care given in the “clinics” became not much better than the old “backroom” abortions.