Unsafe Yet Legal

This blog is a memorial for the many pregnant people killed by legalized abortion. Sister account: https://twitter.com/ChoiceKilled

[killed-by-choice]

FACT: Banning abortion dramatically reduces the rate of abortion— and the number of women dying from abortion

Restrictive state-level abortion policies are associated with not having an abortion at all. Calculated to account for the rate of criminal/illegal abortions.

State abortion policies and Medicaid coverage of abortion are associated with pregnancy outcomes among individuals seeking abortion recruite

A major challenge to understanding barriers to abortion is that those individuals most affected may never reach an abortion provider, making

“Women who lived in a state where abortion access was low were more likely than women living in a state with greater access to use highly effective contraceptives rather than no method” Not only are abortion rates lower where abortions are illegal, but unwanted pregnancy rates too. People are more careful. (From the Guttmacher Institute, former statistics arm of Planned Parenthood.) https://www.guttmacher.org/journals/psrh/2015/05/state-abortion-context-and-us-womens-contraceptive-choices-1995-2010

29% of Medicaid eligible pregnant women who would have an abortion with Medicaid coverage, instead give birth. Calculated to account for the rate of criminal/illegal abortions. https://bmcwomenshealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12905-019-0775-5

Analysis of statewide data from the three States indicated that following restrictions on State funding of abortions, the proportion of reported pregnancies resulting in births, rather than in abortions, increased in all three States. Calculated to account for the rate of criminal/illegal abortions. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1580169/pdf/pubhealthrep00193-0013.pdf

Approximately one-fourth of women who would have Medicaid-funded abortions instead give birth when this funding is unavailable … Studies have found little evidence that lack of Medicaid funding has resulted in illegal abortions. Calculated to account for the rate of criminal/illegal abortions.

We find that a 100-mile increase in distance to the nearest clinic is associated with 30.7 percent fewer abortions and 3.2 percent more births. Calculated to account for the rate of criminal/illegal abortions.

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/pam.22263

rate of abortion is found to be lower in states where access to providers is reduced and state policies are restrictive. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9099567/

A wait time as short as 72 hours is enough to start decreasing abortion rates. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1049386716300603

Abortion decreased after being restricted: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4050978/

Michigan banned Medicaid from paying for abortion. Abortion rates dropped. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8135922/

The farther away a woman is from an abortion facility, the less likely she is to get one: https://www.jstor.org/stable/2134397?seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents

Some restrictions were enacted in Eastern Europe in the 80s and 90s. The rates of abortion AND pregnancy rates both decreased.

Phillip B. Levine, Douglas Staiger, Abortion Policy and Fertility Outcomes: The Eastern European Experience, The Journal of Law & Economics,

Fetal development information and required waiting periods lead to less abortion:

The Impact of Mississippi's Mandatory Delay Law on Abortions and Births

Context.  —Beginning August 8, 1992, a woman in the state of Mississippi had to wait 24 hours after in-person receipt of state-mandated

A study in Louisiana and Maryland found that laws against abortion were effective at stopping abortions

Complex situations: Economic insecurity, mental health, and substance use among pregnant women who consider – but do not have – abortions

We examine characteristics and experiences of women who considered, but did not have, an abortion for this pregnancy. Participants were recr

Countries with abortion bans also have dramatically lower maternal mortality compared to other countries in the region with dangerously permissive abortion laws.

“Contrary to the notion proposing a negative impact of restrictive abortion laws on maternal health, the abortion mortality ratio did not increase after the abortion ban in Chile. Rather, it decreased over 96 percent.”

(PDF) Impact of Reproductive Laws on Maternal Mortality: The Chilean Natural Experiment

PDF | Improving maternal health and decreasing morbidity and mortality due to induced abortion are key endeavors in developing countries. On

Mexican states that ban and restrict abortion have better MMR than permissive states: “Over the 10-year period, states with less permissive abortion legislation exhibited lower Maternal Mortality Rates than more permissive states.”

Objective To test whether there is an association between abortion legislation and maternal mortality outcomes after controlling for other f

Poland bans all abortion except LotM and has the world’s lowest MMR (2/100000). Malta bans almost all abortions and has MMR of 6/100000

Maternal mortality ratio (modeled estimate, per 100,000 live births) from The World Bank: Data

It also works in reverse. Multiple countries have seen an increase in MMR after legalizing abortion.

Guyana legalized abortion and achieved the worst MMR on the continent. (Compare that to Chile, which has constitutional protections for the unborn and an MMR that dropped by over 96% AFTER abortion was banned.)

Maternal mortality rate by country - Thematic Map - South America

The map displayed here shows how Maternal mortality rate varies by country. The shade of the country corresponds to the magnitude of the ind

Ethiopia legalized abortion and it made MMR worse: “Although abortion was not legalised on demand, it was legalised on broad socio-economic grounds: the Center for Reproductive Rights place it in the same category as the UK and Finland which, while not strictly allowing abortion on demand, do allow something close to that in practice.” … “Over the period of legalisation, the proportion of women with septic shock more than doubled, with the same result for organ failure. The proportion admitted to intensive care nearly tripled. Between 2008 and 2014, the percentage of women receiving post-abortion care who have severe complications increased by over 50%, from 7% to 11%. During this time, the proportion of women presenting with organ failure quadrupled, the proportion with peritonitis quintupled, and the proportion with shock nearly doubled.”

LEGALISATION OF ABORTION AND MATERNAL MORTALITY IN ETHIOPIA | Ethiopian Medical Journal

Ireland’s once-stellar MMR also increased after legalizing abortion. (Compare to Poland and Malta with almost total bans and to the UK where abortion is essentially legal in demand up to the second trimester.)

The pattern repeats in Asia. Nepal, where there is no restriction on abortion, has one of the world’s highest maternal mortality rates. (The lowest in the region is Sri Lanka, with a rate fourteen times lower than Nepal and very good restrictions on abortion.)

In addition, less people are being lured into abortion under the false impression that it’s “safe and legal”. If any of them die of illegal abortion, it’s because they knowingly committed a crime. There will no longer be cases like 17-year-old Roselle Owens, Sarah Dunn, Tonya Reaves and Cree Erwin-Sheppard (to name a few) who were killed by abortion because they were lied to about the risks.

[killed-by-choice]

“Aleida Roe,” 17 (Netherlands ~2008)

“Aleida” was a teenage girl who underwent a legal induced abortion. She would linger in the ICU for weeks before dying, all because of a negligent mistake.

Aleida was given Lidocaine as a local anesthetic for the abortion. In the process, a solution of 10% Lidocaine was mistakenly used instead of 1% Lidocaine. This resulted in Aleida receiving ten times the dose of Lidocaine that she was supposed to have. She suffered systemic toxicity, a complication that would have been unlikely if the anesthetic was used correctly.

A hospital tried to save Aleida’s life but was unable to. After two weeks in the intensive care unit, she died. She was only 17.

Sadly, Aleida’s case is not an isolated incident. Many other abortion clients have also been killed because of the abortion facility’s negligence with drugs. The medical journal report that recorded her death also identified another abortion client who was mistakenly given ten times the appropriate dose of Lidocaine in the same way, although this woman survived.

[Lidocaine: local anaesthetic with systemic toxicity] - PubMed

In 4 patients, 3 women aged 63, 17 and 43 years, and a man aged 67 years, lidocain was used as a local anaesthetic for a transthoracic esoph

[killed-by-choice]

“Olivia Roe,” 31 (UK 2010)

A case study reported a fatal septic infection after chemical pill abortion in 2010. Olivia Roe was 31 and was killed in the UK.

Olivia was 8 weeks pregnant when she took the abortion pill. According to her records, the unknown abortion facility prescribed Doxycycline (a prophylactic antibiotic) to take for 10 days as a preventative measure against infection. It wasn’t enough to save her.

According to the doctors who wrote the study, Olivia was supposed to have a follow-up appointment one week after starting the chemical abortion. (This is a step that American abortion facilities typically don’t take for clients who buy the abortion pill.) She apparently hadn’t been seen for her follow-up appointment.

Only a month after starting the abortion, Olivia was admitted to admitted to the Royal Albert Edward Infirmary. She was suffering from vaginal bleeding and abdominal pain. A pelvic ultrasound didn’t detect any fetal body parts or placental tissue left inside of her.

Her condition deteriorated rapidly. Only 22 hours after she was admitted to the hospital, Olivia started experiencing pain and cramping in her legs. Once this symptom started, she quickly began to show symptoms of severe septic infection that included intramuscular bleeding on her thigh and buttock in an inflammatory response to tissue damage, excessive and abnormal blood clotting throughout small blood vessels, bruising, swelling and rashes. Olivia was observed to be confused and drowsy.

Emergency exploratory surgery was done to try to find the cause of sepsis, but no source of intra-abdominal or pelvic sepsis was located during the procedure. The swelling around Olivia’s thighs and gluteal region continued to increase as blood escaped into her tissues from the ruptured blood vessels. She suffered gas gangrene and necrosis that went all the way to the bone. Blisters with blood inside appeared on her thighs.

Despite the best efforts of the Royal Albert Edward Infirmary’s doctors, Olivia died only 28 hours after being admitted to the hospital. She had only survived for 5 1/2 hours after her leg pain started.

Olivia’s autopsy was as alarming as her symptoms. She had abscesses and inflammation in her uterus at the site of the “termination”. Necrosis in the skeletal muscles (predominantly in her thighs) was found. In addition to the necrosis and gas gangrene, her blood cultures returned positive for anaerobic Clostridium septicum.

Olivia’s case is strikingly similar to the deaths of 18-year-old Holly Patterson, Oriane Shevin, Chanelle Bryant, Alyona Dixon, Hoa Thuy “Vivian” Tran, Sarah Dunn, Manon Jones, Jessie-Maye Barlow, “Tina Roe”, “Toni Roe”, “Corrie Roe”, “Marcie Roe”, “Tara Roe”, “Wanda Roe”, “Jane Roe” of Canada, “Carmen Roe”, “Belle Roe”, “Crystal Roe”, “Summer Roe” and Maria Del Valle González López. In addition, the RU-486 pill killed many others through various other causes of death, such as Nadine Walkowiak and Anna Maria M (cardiac problems), Rebecca Tell Berg and Manon Jones (blood loss) and Brenda Vise and “Ella Roe” (ruptured ectopic pregnancy). The RU-486 pill is far from safe.

Fatal Clostridium septicum following medical termination of pregnancy C. L. Khoo, A. Meskhi & C. P. Harris

[killed-by-choice]

“Henna Roe,” 30 (India ~2008)

“Henna” went to see a doctor because of severe abdominal pain. The doctor noticed she had a mild fever and that her abdomen was tender. Henna had not suffered any recent illnesses or physical trauma— with the sole exception of a recent abortion at 16 weeks pregnant.

The lab tests showed a low platelet count and elevated liver enzyme levels. An emergency ultrasound revealed a large lesion, prompting doctors to run a CT scan of her abdomen to get a better understanding of what was wrong.

Henna’s CT scan indicated rupture of the right hepatic lobe with large hyperattenuating subcapsular haematoma and ascites. Aspiration of the lesion was attempted, drawing blood. Henna was aggressively treated, but died a week after being admitted to the hospital.

The diagnosis was a very rare complication almost never seen outside of the third trimester: HELLP Syndrome. Henna had no noted pregnancy complications or other health problems before her abortion (especially significant since HELLP syndrome typically occurs with preeclampsia and not with a healthy pregnancy), but the abortion itself triggered a rare form of the disorder that can occur up to a week postpartum. Although the pathophysiology of HELLP syndrome is still not fully understood, post-abortion inflammation may have triggered it in Henna’s case.

With treatment, about 99% of mothers with HELLP syndrome survive. However, the effective treatment is delivery (frequently in combination with supportive care and medications to manage various aspects of the disease until it subsides). In this rare case where the disease was a complication of an abortion, this approach couldn’t be used (for obvious reasons). Henna fought for her life, but even the best attempts of her doctors couldn’t save her from this unusual form of an already-rare disorder.

(Please note: There is some debate in the medical field about the relationship between preeclampsia, HELLP syndrome and other diagnostic labels. I used the terminology as it was written in Henna’s case report.)

Acute abdomen after the termination of pregnancy - PubMed

Acute abdomen after the termination of pregnancy

Acute abdomen after the termination of pregnancy

A 30-year-old woman presented with severe abdominal pain and mild fever. There was a history of termination of pregnancy at 16 weeks. There

[killed-by-choice]

“Tess Roe,” 21 (USA 1973–1978)

“Tess” was 21 and pregnant with her third baby when she was subjected to extreme negligence by an abortion facility.

Tess didn’t know that her pregnancy was ectopic, a diagnosis that should have been obvious with a competent pre-op exam and ultrasound. She was estimated to be 4 to 6 weeks pregnant and underwent a surgical abortion by sharp curettage (or D&C). The facility didn’t notice anything was wrong, and nobody ordered a pathology report for the remains. Had the remains— or lack of them— been adequately examined, the absence of a corpse should have been an indicator for a possible ectopic pregnancy. But Tess wasn’t warned.

Nine days later, Tess bled to death.

Her autopsy confirmed that she had an ectopic pregnancy, which the abortion facility had entirely failed to notice. Her left Fallopian tube was ruptured and she had suffered severe internal bleeding before dying. All of it was preventable.

As Dr. Wendy Recant, the director of surgical pathology at Michael Reese Hospital, said to the Chicago Sun-Times after another death caused by the same circumstances, “It would be the grossest kind of malpractice to miss one ectopic pregnancy and one woman went home and bled to death.” Yet many others continue to experience the same negligence at abortion facilities today. A few other examples are the deaths of Tia Parks, Brenda Vise, Angela Satterfield, Gladyss Estanislao, Laura Sorrels, Janyth Caldwell, Yvette Poteat, Nancy Hopper, Sherry Emry, Josefina Garcia, Lynette Wallace, Claudia Caventou, Barbara Dillon, Doris Grant, “Denise Roe,” “Ella Roe,” “Elsie Roe,” “Kate Roe,” “Leizu Roe,” “Lia Roe,” “Lihua Roe,” “Shayna Roe,” “Skye Roe” and “Tanya Roe.”

(Tess is Patient 9)

Fatal Ectopic Pregnancy After Attempted Legally Induced Abortion

From 1973 through 1978, the Center for Disease Control identified ten deaths caused by ruptured ectopic pregnancy after attempted legal abor

[killed-by-choice]

Maria I. Robledo, 42 (USA 1989)

On June 2, 1989, Compton resident Maria Robledo underwent a D&C abortion in California. Something went very, very wrong.

At the hospital, doctors discovered the extreme damage. The abortionist had managed to twist and pinch her bowel (likely by ripping a hole in her uterus, catching part of her intestines and shoving it back through the site of the injury), causing a condition called bowel volvulus. A loop of the large intestine was now twisted around itself, causing intestinal obstruction and cutting off circulation to part of the organ.

The abortion was also incomplete, meaning pert of Maria’s dead baby was decaying inside of her. Either injury would have been life-threatening alone, but with the deadly combination, sepsis and gangrene quickly set in. Maria died one day after the fatal abortion. Her body was transported to Mexico for burial, as she had family there. She herself had come to the US in her early 20s looking for a better life, but thanks to America’s abortion-permissive laws, she now had no life at all.

The horrific injuries that killed Maria are far from unheard of in the abortion industry. During a National Abortion Federation “risk management” seminar, a horrified moderator stepped in when an abortionist told others at the convention that when he “pulled bowel” (as he called it), his preferred response was to shove it back through the perforation and send the client home without telling her. The appalled moderator immediately pointed out how reckless and dangerous this was, and reminded the audience that any confirmed or suspected injury of this nature required immediate hospitalization. The moderator then asked the audience of abortionists how many of them did this to their clients. Six openly admitted that they did.

The CDC did not count Maria’s death in their 1989 tally of maternal deaths from legal abortion. In fact, they did not count anyone in her age group in that list at all.

Others who died after receiving similar uterine and bowel injuries include Sharon Hamptlon and Magdalena Rodriguez-Ortega.

California Office of the State Registrar

The Scarlet Survey, Kevin Sherlock (see 1989 abortion death data, “Maria AKA Jane Roe of Compton”)

"California Death Index, 1940-1997," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VGPX-194 : 26 November 2014), Maria I Robledo, 03 Jun 1989; Department of Public Health Services, Sacramento.

"United States Social Security Death Index," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:J5D8-G29 : 11 January 2021), M I Robledo, Jun 1989; citing U.S. Social Security Administration, Death Master File, database (Alexandria, Virginia: National Technical Information Service, ongoing).

"California, Divorce Index, 1966-1984", FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VP54-M5F : Tue Feb 25 17:14:00 UTC 2025), Entry for Maria Robledo and Arnold, 10 Sep 1982.

https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:6K49-PWHK?lang=en

Maria’s medical and death records

[killed-by-choice]

Maureen Lynn Tyke, 21 (USA 1983)

Maureen Tyke lived in Pennsylvania, but she had an abortion done in Florida. The abortion facility was called Aware Woman Clinic. The ironically named facility did not examine Maureen well enough to be aware of a lethal problem.

John Bayard Britton was the abortionist. Maureen had her legal abortion on Friday, May 27, 1983. The facility did not note anything unusual or alarming.

About 24 hours after her abortion, Maureen developed nausea, vomiting and chills. By the next Sunday, she was in the hospital. Holmes Regional Medical Center noticed she had fever and chills and was extremely weak. Her blood pressure was dangerously low and her skin turned an unhealthy blue-gray from lack of oxygen to her tissues.

Even after an emergency hysterectomy, Maureen died. She was only 21 years old.

Her autopsy results showed that she had florid myocarditis, probably of viral etiology (a severe viral infection of the heart). The medical examiner added, "The intensity of this myocarditis should indicate that the young woman was very ill and there should have been some signs or symptoms of serious illness at the time she was being prepared for the abortion." However, as the autopsy had noted, nobody at the abortion facility had noticed that Maureen was horribly sick and in no condition for any elective surgery.

It can't be said for certain that an adequate physical examination and a referral for medical care could have saved Maureen. However, any client (no matter how healthy) should have had the basic examination that the facility failed to give.

Autopsy transcript

[killed-by-choice]

Dorothy Bryant, 37 (USA 1986)

Dorothy Bryant underwent a legal abortion done by Robert Prince in 1986. The abortion facility was Dallas Medical Ladies Clinic.

On May 27, 1986, Robert Prince performed the abortion without doing an adequate pre-op exam. He was negligent with his application of anesthesia, other drugs and blood transfusions during the abortion. Dorothy suffered from hemorrhage and was taken to a hospital where she died after the abortion.

Dorothy’s family sued the abortionist for his lethal malpractice. The same man was later investigated for failing to report sexual abuse of a 13-year-old girl who called to schedule an abortion.

Dorothy and her unborn child were killed by an abusive industry enabled by the Roe v. Wade court decision. Many more would be killed for years to come.

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/133838182/dorothy-l-bryant

https://www.sysoon.com/deceased/dorothy-bryant-165

Dallas County District Court #88-1842

[killed-by-choice]

“Brenda Roe”, 31 (USA 1972–1975)

A medical study published a set of cases of pregnant people killed by prostaglandin F2alpha abortion. PF2A is an abortifacient known to cause vomiting, violent spasms, uterine rupture and other side effects. One of the abortion clients killed was “Brenda Roe”, who was 31.

Brenda was not healthy to begin with. She was a chronic alcoholic and the years of drinking were already taking their toll on her. By the time she found out she was pregnant, her kidneys were damaged, she had pancreatitis and had been diagnosed with pontine myelinolysis as a result of alcohol abuse. She likely feared the effects of alcohol on her baby.

Brenda underwent an abortion at 20 weeks pregnant. The abortionist used prostaglandin F2 Alpha instillation. This method involved injecting prostaglandin into the uterus to induce violent contractions that would kill the baby— and if that didn’t work, the premature newborn would likely be left to die.

Prostaglandin also had the risk of serious and potentially lethal side effects to the mother. Brenda began vomiting and aspirated vomit into her lungs, choking to death.

Abortion deaths associated with the use of prostaglandin F2alpha - PubMed

Six abortion-related deaths associated with the use of prostaglandin F2alpha were reported through the Center for Disease Control's surveill

[killed-by-choice]

“Tess Roe,” 21 (USA 1973–1978)

“Tess” was 21 and pregnant with her third baby when she was subjected to extreme negligence by an abortion facility.

Tess didn’t know that her pregnancy was ectopic, a diagnosis that should have been obvious with a competent pre-op exam and ultrasound. She was estimated to be 4 to 6 weeks pregnant and underwent a surgical abortion by sharp curettage (or D&C). The facility didn’t notice anything was wrong, and nobody ordered a pathology report for the remains. Had the remains— or lack of them— been adequately examined, the absence of a corpse should have been an indicator for a possible ectopic pregnancy. But Tess wasn’t warned.

Nine days later, Tess bled to death.

Her autopsy confirmed that she had an ectopic pregnancy, which the abortion facility had entirely failed to notice. Her left Fallopian tube was ruptured and she had suffered severe internal bleeding before dying. All of it was preventable.

As Dr. Wendy Recant, the director of surgical pathology at Michael Reese Hospital, said to the Chicago Sun-Times after another death caused by the same circumstances, “It would be the grossest kind of malpractice to miss one ectopic pregnancy and one woman went home and bled to death.” Yet many others continue to experience the same negligence at abortion facilities today. A few other examples are the deaths of Tia Parks, Brenda Vise, Angela Satterfield, Gladyss Estanislao, Laura Sorrels, Janyth Caldwell, Yvette Poteat, Nancy Hopper, Sherry Emry, Josefina Garcia, Lynette Wallace, Claudia Caventou, Barbara Dillon, Doris Grant, “Denise Roe,” “Ella Roe,” “Elsie Roe,” “Kate Roe,” “Leizu Roe,” “Lia Roe,” “Lihua Roe,” “Shayna Roe,” “Skye Roe” and “Tanya Roe.”

(Tess is Patient 9)

Fatal Ectopic Pregnancy After Attempted Legally Induced Abortion

From 1973 through 1978, the Center for Disease Control identified ten deaths caused by ruptured ectopic pregnancy after attempted legal abor

[killed-by-choice]

“Talia Roe,” 26 (USA 2022)

“Talia” underwent a chemical abortion using mifepristone and misoprostol somewhere in the United States. Her death may never have been known to the public if it hadn’t been for a report submitted by a healthcare professional through the FDA-CTU. Although her death occurred in May and the report was expedited, the FDA did not receive and process the report until months later.

Mental health problems after abortion are very real, and the chemical abortion method has unique dangers. Mifepristone has been found to directly cause elevated cortisol (the stress hormone) by blocking negative feedback processes. Talia was one of many who suffered from suicidal ideation afterwards. On May 18, 2022, she died of suicide by shooting herself in the head. She was only 26.

Others who committed suicide after abortion include Sandra Kaiser, Arlin Dela Cruz, Ashley Barnett, Jade Rees, Emma Beck, Ashli Blake, Charlotte Dawson, Stacy Zallie, Carol Cunningham, “Lilian” (30), “Sheila” (Age unknown), “Cathy” (19), “Stacy” (32), “Sylvie” (22), “Sandra” (18), “Jessica” (35) and “Jade” (age unknown).

FAERS Case ID 21177969

https://www.fda.gov/media/164331/download

(Note that in the report for the year before, one less death from suicide was recorded)

[killed-by-choice]

Yessenia Manzo, 26 (USA 2009)

In 2009, a single abortion ended three lives. Yessenia Manzo and her twin sons were all victims.

Yessenia had some health problems (which will be covered in detail later in this post), but the abortion was elective and not “indicated” by her health. Her sons were diagnosed with twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome or TTTS. This can be treated in utero with a minimally-invasive surgery. Without treatment, 90% of TTTS babies die, but with treatment there is an 85% to 90% chance of saving at least one twin and a 50% to 60% chance of saving both. Yessenia was also told that she was 26 weeks pregnant at the time of her sons’ diagnosis. At 26 weeks, another available approach to treating TTTS was simply delivering both babies and treating them in the NICU.

Given all of this, it is highly unlikely that Yessenia was given the information necessary for informed consent. A third trimester abortion can never be medically necessary for mother or baby and is inherently far more dangerous than birth. Even if Yessenia herself had been at immediate risk, simply delivering the twins would have been the fastest and safest course of action for her.

Instead, all three were killed.

Yessenia’s cervix was dilated with laminaria, and her sons were subjected to lethal injection of potassium chloride into their hearts. This is the same method that is largely considered needlessly cruel for execution of convicted murderers. The only reason for the abortionist to do this was to intentionally eliminate any chance they might have of surviving. Labor would then be induced to deliver the corpses, meaning that Yessenia still would have endured all the pain of delivery with higher risk.

After the abortion, Yessenia had to undergo surgery at Harbor UCLA Medical Center for suspected retained tissue. The operation started at or about 4:00 PM. Yessenia quickly deteriorated and by 5:40 PM she required intubation. Her heart stopped and CPR was attempted, but at 6:26 PM on May 6, she was pronounced dead. Her husband was notified and brought to the hospital to identify her body.

The autopsies of Yessenia and her sons revealed that whoever performed the examination that diagnosed TTTS had done an extremely poor job. Yessenia had not been 26 weeks pregnant but only 17 weeks. Given how badly a doctor would have to do their job for this to happen, the TTTS diagnosis and Yessenia’s ability to give meaningful informed consent are highly suspect at best.

Yessenia’s body was “oozing blood from the vagina” and her endometrium was filled with clotted blood. Her lungs suffered congestion and edema. Her chest and abdominal cavities both contained about 75 cc of serosanguinous fluid. Evidence of pulmonary hypertension was found. The endocervical canal had hemorrhage found. Her heart was enlarged and the ductus arteriosus measured at 1.1 cm, although it was noted that “the great vessels enter and leave in a normal fashion.”

Yessenia’s heart condition is associated with higher fatality rates in pregnant patients, but it was repeatedly noted that the fatal abortion was in fact elective and not recommended for any health reason. Again, had doctors thought Yessenia’s own health was at extreme risk, abortion would still have been far more dangerous than birth (and even more so if the estimate of 26 weeks had been a competent one). Complications of the abortion had aggravated her heart problems and killed her.

The manner of her death was given as “accidental/natural” on the case report sheet, but no mention of the internal hemorrhage was noted on the death certificate. The coroner listed the manner of her death as “natural” on the certificate and placed the abortion under the contributing causes section instead of the blank for the cause or aggravation of the cardiopulmonary failure. The reason for this was probably that Yessenia’s heart condition was pre-existing and naturally caused, but considering the malpractice involved and the direct aggravation of her conditions by the abortion, it was a somewhat odd decision to list the causes this way.

Los Angeles County Medical Examiner

Los Angeles County Medical Examiner

[killed-by-choice]

Maria D. Gomez, 29 (USA 1976)

Maria D. Gomez was a young immigrant who moved from Mexico to America and was living in California at the time of her death. She underwent a legal abortion at Atlantic Family Medical Clinic (actually an abortion facility) in Los Angeles County. The first-trimester suction abortion was begun in the early afternoon of May 4, 1976.

Maria bled to death in an hour and a half. The coroner report indicates that John Blodgett (who was likely the one to perform the fatal abortion) claimed that Maria bled to death from an "old" cervical cut. His claims were quickly disproven once the autopsy began.

Maria’s autopsy results were disturbing. Her uterus was badly gashed and lacerated. A quart of blood was pooled in her abdomen. Even more horrifying was that the severed head of Maria’s child was left inside of her.

The severe internal injuries hadn’t been sutured, but Maria’s vagina was packed with gauze. The abortion facility knew about the bleeding but couldn’t be bothered to identify and treat the cause. All they had done was hide the symptom of how they mutilated her.

LA County Coroner Report 76-5654

“California, County Birth and Death Records, 1800-1994”, database with images, Maria D Gomez, 1976.

California Death Index, 1940-1997 database, Maria D Gomez, 04 May 1976 Department of Public Health Services, Sacramento.

[killed-by-choice]

“Marina Roe” (France, ~1993)

Death in sickle cell patients after abortion has been documented for decades, but in one especially tragic case, a single abortion that was supposedly “therapeutic” instead ended four lives.

“Marina” was a sickle cell patient who was pregnant in the second trimester with triplets. The report of her death does not specify the exact age of her babies, but countless premature babies delivered in the second trimester have survived when given medical attention. Even if they had been too young to survive, guaranteeing their deaths in utero would have offered no medical benefit— especially since a second-trimester abortion would take much longer than delivery.

The abortion was carried out using prostaglandin E2 instillation. A few hours later, Marina was already showing signs that something was going very wrong. She was suffering from bone and joint pain, and her hemoglobin was only 8 gm/dL. (For reference, 12 gm/dL is considered severely low in most women.) She was given 4 units of blood, but developed trouble breathing and deteriorated so badly over the next four days that she was admitted to the ICU.

By the time she was admitted to the ICU, Marina had trouble breathing and was suffering from confusion. Her chest x-ray showed pulmonary edema. Despite intensive treatment, she became even worse. Doctors put her on a ventilator and performed a heart catheterization. Based on her test results, they suspected an embolism. An exchange blood transfusion of 30 mL was initiated. Despite all attempts, Marina suffered respiratory failure and died the next day of acute right heart failure.

Marina’s postmortem exam found “marked pulmonary vascular congestion with focal alveolar hemorrhage and edema.” In addition, the diagnosis of embolism was confirmed by “massive amounts of fat in lung capillaries typical of fat embolism.” The cause of death was diagnosed as “massive fat embolism resulting from bone marrow necrosis.”

After Marina’s death, her case was analyzed. Several points were noted when the actions taken contributed to her death, including notes on how some should have been handled differently.

First, Marina was more predisposed to bone marrow fat emboli to begin with because of her sickle cell disease. Abortion is very well-documented as a cause for pulmonary emboli even in healthy people, so this should have been carefully considered.

Second, it was noted that “Massive transfusion without blood exchange… could have favored bone marrow necrosis and fat emboli by increasing blood viscosity.” Doctors reviewing her case also referenced that PGE2 (the chemical used in Marina’s abortion) also acts as a vasodilator, increasing blood flow on top of the already increased viscosity.

Marina was also given an insufficient exchange transfusion in her last days of life. She was given 30 mL of blood when the medical journal reviewing her case stated that life-threatening situations require at least double that amount. It was also theorized that “the severity of pulmonary involvement in our patient when exchange blood transfusion was performed may also have contributed to the failure of the treatment.” Marina’s treatment was, quite literally, too little too late.

Sherika Mayo, Betty Gail Hines, Margaret Davis, Barbara Riley, “Vera Roe” and Pauline Silvera are a few other sickle cell patients killed by deadly side effects of their legal abortions, which were all too frequently recommended to them under the suggestion that it would be healthier for them. Women with sickle cell disease (and their children) deserve better.

Pulmonary fat embolism after prostaglandin infusion in sickle cell disease with fatal outcome despite exchange blood transfusion - PubMed

Pulmonary fat embolism after prostaglandin infusion in sickle cell disease with fatal outcome despite exchange blood transfusion

https://doi.org/10.1002/ajh.2830430431

Europe PMC is an archive of life sciences journal literature.

[killed-by-choice]

“Sandra Roe,” 18 (USA 1971)

The teenager known only as Sandra Roe was one of many killed by New York’s early legalization of abortion. Her case is especially sad— and a stark reminder of the exploitation and negligence of the abortion industry.

Sandra thought she was in the first trimester when she paid for a surgical abortion in New York. She came to the abortion facility for her appointment on April 15, 1971. The facility either didn’t adequately examine her first or didn’t allow her to see her own test results.

Mental health problems after abortion are real and well-documented. Sandra suffered from severe trauma and talked about her crippling guilt, telling people she’d killed her baby. She needed immediate help that an abortion facility would never give to her.

After enduring three days of psychological agony, Sandra killed herself on April 18, 1971.

A report published in a medical journal later told Sandra’s story, including the truth she was never told. A critical fact that would have changed everything was withheld from Sandra, even when she should have been told this from the start.

Sandra had not been correctly examined or tested before the abortion. After her death, the pathology results came back showing that either she had been lied to or the abortion facility was incompetent enough to miss a crucial fact.

She was never pregnant to begin with.

“Maternal Mortality Associated With Legal Abortion in New York State: Jul. 1, 1970 – Jun. 30, 1972; Berger, Tietze, Pakter, Katz, Obstetrics and Gynecology, 43:3, March 1974, 321

Maternal Mortality Associated With Legal Abortion in New York State: July 1, 1970 -- June 30, 1972

[killed-by-choice]

“Julie Roe,” 14 (USA 1972)

Thanks to New York and California’s early legalization of abortion, many people were killed by legal abortion in America even before Roe v Wade. Two of the many victims of abortion were a 14-year-old and her baby. The 14-year-old girl is only known as Julie Roe.

On March 26, 1972, Julie underwent a legal abortion in New York. The abortionist left fetal body parts inside of her to rot. Julie had to have operations to try to remove the rest of the corpse, but her uterus and bowel were perforated and she developed an abscess from infection.

In an effort to save the young girl, doctors performed a partial resection of her bowel and drained the abscess. Unfortunately, Julie developed peritonitis and sepsis. After a long and painful battle, she died on April 16, 1972.

Julie’s real name is unknown. Her case is documented in a report on maternal deaths from New York’s early legalization of abortion.

“Maternal Mortality Associated With Legal Abortion in New York State: Jul. 1, 1970 – Jun. 30, 1972,” Berger, Tietze, Pakter, Katz, Obstetrics and Gynecology, 43:3, March 1974, 322

[killed-by-choice]

Maureen Espinoza, 16 (USA 1997)

On March 28, 1997, 16-year-old Maureen Espinoza had a legal abortion in San Antonio. The abortionist punctured Maureen’s uterus, but didn’t make any note of her dangerous internal injuries. He didn’t even tell Maureen, who was sent home with no warning about what was about to happen to her.

By April 3, the teenager was in the ER. Doctors at Northeast Baptist Hospital tried to save Maureen, who was suffering. She underwent two emergency surgeries in 12 days, but she couldn’t be saved. Maureen Espinoza died on April 15.

This didn’t have to happen. Maureen Espinosa and her baby could still be alive today if Maureen hadn’t undergone a legal abortion— a deadly danger in the name of “choice”.

Maureen Espinoza (1980-1997) - Find a Grave...

Father: Ramon Felan Espinoza Mother: Josie Cortez

“ME’s office verifies teen died from legal abortion,” San Antonio Express-News, April 24, 1997

Bryan-College Station Eagle from Bryan, Texas

Get this Bryan-College Station Eagle page for free from Friday, April 25, 1997 a a The Bryan-College Station Eagle Friday, April 25, 1997 Re