Abortion Practitioner in California Apparently Violating Terms of Previous Probation
by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
October 12, 2009
San Diego, CA (LifeNews.com) — An abortion practitioner in California is apparently violating the terms of a previous probation for prior acts of gross negligence. Andrew Rutland previously lost his license, but was reinstated under strict conditions by the Medical Board of California — conditions he is apparently violating.
Rutland formerly practiced as an obstetrician and lost his medical license for five years after he was accused of negligence in the death of two babies.
Rutland surrendered his license in October 2002 after a two-year state investigation that resulted in accusations of negligence, misconduct and incompetence in his treatment of 20 pregnant women, newborns and gynecological patients
The current abortion practitioner only admitted negligence in once case, that of Jillian Broussard, who suffered a torn spinal cord and died a week after she was delivered by forceps.
Rutland agreed not to contest the other accusations, which included negligence in the death of another baby, scaring patients into unnecessary hysterectomies, botching surgeries, lying to patients, falsifying medical records, over-prescribing painkillers and having sex with a patient in his office.
After a medical board hearing during which Rutland apologized for his actions in the Broussard case, the medical board’s Division of Medical Quality approved the reinstatement of Rutland’s license with a provision that he be supervised by another physician.
Unable to get work in legitimate medical fields because of the probation, Rutland has opened an abortion center in southern California.
ABC 10 reporter Charisse Yu attempted to interview Rutland about the new abortion center and caught him arriving at the facility with no other physician around.
Troy Newman, the president of the pro-life group Operation Rescue, is appealing to medical officials in California to investigate whether Rutland is violating the terms of his probation.
"This news report shows yet another in a long line of abortionists operating illegally," he told LifeNews.com.
"We demand that the Medical Board act immediately to revoke his medical license. We also demand that the District Attorney’s look into filing criminal charges against Rutland," he said.
At his hearing in 2007, Rutland told the court that he hopes to finish his medical career by practicing with his daughter, Dr. Costanza Rutland, also an obstetrician-gynecologist.
Rutland opened the abortion center in the same location as the one formerly operated by Bertha Bugarin, who was recently convicted of doing illegal, unlicensed abortions at her abortion business.
With the abortion practitioners her centers hired having their own legal problems, Bugarin took it upon herself to do abortions. As LifeNews.com reported in April, Bugarin was sentenced to 6 years, 8 months on nine felony counts of doing abortions without a medical license.
"Rutland and Bugarin and the rest of their cohorts are not exceptions to the rule," Newman said. "Jailing these people is the only way to stop them from preying on vulnerable women."
"In the meantime, women must be warned of the dangers of abortion clinics in our nation. They are staffed by shoddy abortionists and unqualified workers who are the bottom of the barrel in the medical world that routinely lie to women about the safety of their operations," he continued.
"Women deserve better than this, and we urge anyone considering abortion to instead contact an abortion alternatives center in their area and get the help they need," Newman told LifeNews.com.
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