South Africa Practitioner Fined for Doing Illegal Abortions on 1,400 Women Email this article
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by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
June 28, 2006
Durban, South Africa (LifeNews.com) — A South African doctor and his staff were fined for doing illegal abortions on more than 1,400 women. Rose Clinic director Vikash Nundlall received a 10 year suspended sentence and was fined approximately $82,500 by the Durban High Court.
"In a plea bargain, Dr. Nundlall and his staff pleaded guilty approximately 5,800 charges relating to illegal abortions," said Martus de Wet of the leading South African pro-life group Doctors for Life.
"Other staff received suspended five-year sentences and were also fined," de Wet said.
Nundlall and three assistants, Anastasia Msweli, Vineshree Reddy and Renell Dania, faced over 23,000 charges in the various abortion cases brought before the court. There were nearly 20 abortion and regulatory laws broken in almost each case of an illegal abortion being performed.
Nundlall and his staff were brought to justice when he gave an 18 year-old schoolgirl an abortion drug. She was about 28 weeks pregnant at the time, which is well beyond the time period the abortion pills are supposed to be used.
"She was only given tablets. Unfortunately, the baby was born alive but died several hours later," senior Durban prosecutor Val Melis said in February, according to a SABC report.
Doctors for Life’s John Smyth said at the time: "These illegal abortions have been going on for a long time. For the first time these matters have been investigated."