Charlotte, NC – During her speech at the Democratic National Convention, abortion activist Sandra Fluke accused Republican Vice-Presidential Candidate Paul Ryan of supporting a bill that “would allow pregnant women to die preventable deaths in our emergency rooms.” This comment was in reference to Ryan’s pro-life stance.
“We have news for Sandra Fluke. Women are already dying in our emergency rooms from botched abortions while President Obama looks the other way. Just ask the family of Tonya Reaves,” said Troy Newman President of Operation Rescue and Pro-Life Nation.
Reaves died on July 20, 2012, from hemorrhaging caused by a botched second-trimester abortion she received at a Chicago Planned Parenthood clinic. She suffered a uterine perforation that was not reported to the hospital when Reaves was admitted after bleeding profusely for over five hours at the Planned Parenthood office. No call was placed to 911, further delaying her emergency care.
Just four days later, Obama renewed his support for Planned Parenthood during a campaign stop where he stated, “Mr. Romney wants to get rid of funding for Planned Parenthood. I think that’s a bad idea. I’ve got two daughters. I want them to control their own health care choices.”
The statement showed complete disrespect for Reaves and for her grieving family and a disturbing lack of concern for women who are routinely subjected to substandard abortions across the nation.
Furthermore, Reaves is not the only botched abortion patient to die in our emergency rooms.
Laura Hope Smith died from a negligently performed first trimester abortion by Rapine Osathanondh at an inadequately staffed and equipped abortion clinic in Hyannis, Massachusetts. Osathanondh was convicted of manslaughter and sentenced to jail. Alexandra Nunez died from a horrifically botched second trimester abortion she received from Robert Hosty at a seedy abortion clinic in Queens, New York. Some of her baby’s remains had been shoved through a uterine perforation and into her abdominal cavity. Hosty’s medical license was revoked earlier this year. Christin Gilbert died after LeRoy Carhart bungled her third-trimester abortion. She delivered her dead baby in the back of her family’s van, then developed an untreated infection that killed her. Carhart was never held accountable for her death.
“Fluke is trying to perpetuate the myth that pro-life legislation kills women, when it is actually today’s abortionists that are all too often landing women on a slab in the morgue,” said Newman. “Ms. Fluke ignores the plight of women like Tonya Reaves, Laura Smith, Alexandra Nunez, and thousands of others while attempting to inflame with faulty hypotheticals. If she really wanted to help women, she would work to close abortion clinics where women are injured and killed on a regular basis.”
