Chicago, IL – Operation Rescue has obtained a copy of Tonya Reaves autopsy report that shows beyond a doubt that the 24-year old woman died from three major complications to a botched second-trimester abortion suffered at a Chicago area Planned Parenthood abortion clinic on July 20, 2012. It furthermore indicates that her injuries were survivable if she had received proper emergency care in a timely manner.
The autopsy itself was short, consisting of only seven pages. It took two months for the report to be released. Missing from it was any mention of the clinic that conducted her abortion or the name of the abortionists involved, details that are usually included in autopsy reports. These omissions give substance to suspicions that there is an on-going cover-up of Planned Parenthood’s actions that led to Reaves’ death.
Reaves received an incomplete second trimester abortion at Planned Parenthood that was followed by uncontrolled bleeding. Clinic staff allowed Reaves to hemorrhage for 5½ hours before seeking emergency care. Records show that Planned Parenthood did not call 911 for an ambulance, which was the quickest way to get help for her.
It is the official opinion of the Cook County Medical Examiner that Reaves’ cause of death “is due to hemorrhage resulting from cervical dilation and evacuation due to an intrauterine pregnancy.” In plain language, Reaves bled to death as the result of a bungled D&E abortion. The pregnancy itself did not contribute to her death.
The manner of death is listed as “Accident,” which would include an avoidable death from negligence and malpractice.
“We strongly believe that criminal charges such as Depraved Indifference, Criminal Negligence, and Criminal Malpractice are applicable in this case and we again call for a criminal investigation into the death of Tonya Reaves,” said Troy Newman, President of Operation Rescue and Pro-Life Nation. “Planned Parenthood killed her, now they must be brought to justice in a court of law.”
Reaves’ autopsy revealed that:
She was a healthy woman who was approximately 16 weeks pregnant at the time of her abortion, well into the second trimester. She suffered from an incomplete abortion. The Medical Examiner discovered pieces of placenta still attached to the inside of her womb even after a second abortion done by the hospital to remove fetal remains left by Planned Parenthood. She suffered a 3/16 inch uterine perforation near forcep impression marks. D&E abortions involve dismembering the baby in the womb and removing the pieces with forceps. She suffered an “extensive” perforation of her broad uterine ligament with a possible severing of her left uterine artery as a result of her abortion. This accounted for the internal bleeding that was discovered only too late by the hospital trauma team. There were 1-1.5 liters of blood and clots inside her abdominal cavity. The human body holds roughly five liters of blood. Reaves bled about 30 percent of her total volume of blood into her abdomen, and that does not account for the amount of blood lost through what was likely substantial vaginal bleeding due to the retained fetal remains. In a vain attempt to save her life, the hospital trauma team performed an emergency hysterectomy on Reaves.
“As bungled as this abortion was, we believe Tonya Reaves could have survived her injuries if she had gotten immediate emergency care and if Planned Parenthood had shared medical information with the hospital related to her incomplete abortion and uterine perforation,” said Newman. “Instead, Planned Parenthood left the trauma team in the dark to solve the puzzle of Tonya’s injuries while her life ebbed away.”
Some news report have indicated that a contributing factor in Reaves’ death was injuries received from being pushed down a flight of stairs by her one-year old son’s father. However, the autopsy indicated, “There is no evidence of significant recent external injury.” This puts the responsibility for Reaves’ death solely on Planned Parenthood.
Reaves’ abortion took place at the Loop Health Center Planned Parenthood, located at 18 S. Michigan Avenue in Chicago. Planned Parenthood’s website indicates that surgical abortions were not supposed to be available at that location, which leads to questions about whether the office was properly equipped for risky second trimester abortions.
Operation Rescue plans to file a complaint with the Illinois Department of Professional Regulation against abortionist Carolyn Hoke, who is believed to have been responsible for Reaves’ abortion. Hoke serves as the Medical Director for Planned Parenthood. One week after Reaves’ family sued Planned Parenthood of Illinois for killing Reaves, it agreed to pay the state $367,000 to settle a case against Hoke involving fraudulent over-billing of Medicaid.
Operation Rescue called on Pres. Barack Obama to launch an investigation of Reaves’ death and defund Planned Parenthood. Pres. Barack Obama responded by renewing his public support for Planned Parenthood and calling efforts to defund them “a bad idea.”
Read Tonya Reaves’ Autopsy Report
