Legislature, Pro-Life Groups Ask Florida Officials to Prosecute Botched Abortion

State   |   Steven Ertelt   |   Feb 19, 2009   |   9:00AM   |   WASHINGTON, DC

Legislature, Pro-Life Groups Ask Florida Officials to Prosecute Botched Abortion

by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
February 19
, 2009

Miami, FL (LifeNews.com) — The Florida state legislature and pro-life groups are increasing the intensity of their calls for local prosecutors to prosecute an infamous botched abortion case. The incident involves the birth of a baby who was born alive on the second day of a two-day abortion procedure.

The Florida House of Representatives has issued a letter to State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle calling for criminal charges to be filed in the case.

Sycloria Williams went to the GYN Diagnostic Center abortion facility in Hialeah, outside Miami, for an abortion. She had laminaria inserted and went back the next day for the abortion and gave birth instead to a baby named Shanice.

Unlicensed abortion worker Belkis Gonzalez cut the umbilical cord and placed the baby in a biohazard bag and threw her out with the trash. Gonzalez later stashed the baby’s body on the abortion clinic roof to hide it from authorities.

Abortion practitioner Pierre Renelique did not show up for the scheduled abortion and the Florida Board of Medicine revoked his medical license earlier this month. It found Renelique guilty of medical malpractice and wrongly delegating a medical responsibility meant for physicians to unlicensed personnel.

In a letter dated February 17, House Speaker Ray Sansom told Rundle, "The undersigned Members of the Florida Legislature from both sides of the debate on this issue strongly urge you to take appropriate action against the individuals involved in these morally reprehensible acts."

Now, two pro-life groups are also calling on officials to fully prosecute the case.

The Christian Defense Coalition is holding a Friday press conference to call on Rundle to prosecute Renelique and Gonzalez.

After the news conference, Rev. Patrick Mahoney, director of the pro-life group, will attempt to meet face to face with the State Attorney and those involved with investigating this case.

"The facts of this case are barbaric. A young child is born and in a panic clinic employees stuff her into a trash bag and put her on a roof in the hot, burning, Florida, summer sun to die," he told LifeNews.com. "Why have no charges been filed?"

"We call upon State Attorney Rundle to stand for justice and protect the citizens of Florida by swiftly filing criminal charges against all those involved," he added.

Operation Rescue president Troy Newman says he supports Mahoney’s efforts.

"We stand in solidarity with the Christian Defense Coalition in demanding answers as to why, two and a half years after the fact, criminal charges have not been filed in Shanice’s murder," he told LifeNews.com.

"We know every detail of how this living baby was killed and we know who did the killing. There’s nothing left to investigate. It’s time to bring those responsible for his heinous crime to justice," he continued.

Williams has filed a civil lawsuit in the case.

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