Malaysia Abortion Practitioner Who Killed Woman in Botched Abortion Acquitted

National   |   Steven Ertelt   |   Aug 8, 2006   |   9:00AM   |   WASHINGTON, DC

Malaysia Abortion Practitioner Who Killed Woman in Botched Abortion Acquitted Email this article
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by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
August 8, 2006

Kuantan, Malaysia (LifeNews.com) — A Malaysia abortion practitioner who killed a woman in a botched abortion has been acquitted and will go free. C. Sethugavalar, who is 63, was accused of killing a woman six years ago when the abortion be performed went awry and he perforated her uterus.

Judge Sarimah Hashim of the Sessions Court said the prosecution failed to prove its case and, without defense attorneys presenting Sethugavalar’s side, she said the abortion practitioner could escape the charges.

Sethugavalar was charged with puncturing the womb of Erley Suzana Che Yop, according to a report in The Star, a Malaysia newspaper.

Erley Suzana was about 16 to 20 weeks pregnant at the time and died from massive blood loss from her uterus after the failed abortion.

According to the newspaper, the abortion was allegedly done between 1 a.m. and 3 a.m. on March 4, 2000 at his abortion facility in Jalan Tun Ismail.

Sethugavalar talked with his lawyers after the court proceedings and got into a car with them and drove away. He would not comment to the media.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Kalmizah Salleh represented DPP Ahmad Rosli Mohd Sham in the case and Roslie told the Malaysia newspaper he didn’t know if an appeal would be filed in the case.

“Let’s wait and see. I am not going to divulge anything,” he said.