Planned Parenthood’s Botched Abortion Injures Next Baby

Opinion   |   Kelsey Hazzard   |   Nov 15, 2011   |   1:08PM   |   Washington, DC

As AbortionSafety.com volunteers continue to research abortion malpractice across the country, I want to share one case with you. For me, it brought home the broad negative impact of abortion. It doesn’t stop with the unborn child, or even with the mother; abortion harms entire families and communities.

This case begins nearly two decades ago, when a young woman obtained an abortion at a Planned Parenthood in California. Planned Parenthood erronously told her that she was Rh-positive, when she was actually Rh-negative. As a result, she did not receive an injection of Rhogam, which is standard medical practice after an Rh-negative woman has an abortion or gives birth.

Several years later, she conceived a daughter. As a result of Planned Parenthood’s negligence in the earlier abortion of the sibling, this innocent baby girl suffered a severe case of Rh disease. The mother sued on her daughter’s behalf. In response to Planned Parenthood’s motion to dismiss the case, the plaintiffs described the girl’s injuries: she “had to be delivered prematurely at 30 weeks gestation and suffered a Grade III intra ventricular hemhorrage, hydrops fetalis, and erythoblastosis … has had multiple brain surgeries, and brain shunts placed … damages are in excess of $4,000,000 for lifelong medical and 24 hour per day nursing care.”

Planned Parenthood’s motion to dismiss was denied, and the case settled out of court in 2005— thirteen years after the abortion malpractice took place.

This case highlights the importance of informing women of the potential risks of abortion. We hope that you will help us continue to unearth these disturbing malpractice cases by making a donation. Thank you for your continued support.

[To view the court documents in this case for yourself, visit the Alameda County Superior Court website, click the “Case summary” link, enter case number C-828023, click on “Register of Actions” in the left-hand sidebar, then click on the document icon for “Memorandum of Points and Authorities in Opposition to Motion to Dismiss Filed” (09/24/04). The relevant information begins on page 8 of the document.]

LifeNews.com Note:  Kelsey Hazzard is the president of Secular Pro-Life, an organization that uses non-religious arguments to promote the pro-life perspective. AbortionSafety.com is a Secular Pro-Life project which is planned to launch in spring 2012.