Case of Maryland Practitioner Killing Woman in Failed Abortion May Get Probe
by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
June 22, 2010
Annapolis, MD (LifeNews.com) — Local officials may investigate a case involving a Maryland abortion practitioner who killed a woman in a failed abortion. A state attorney for Anne Rundle County, Maryland has referred an abortion death case involving Romeo A. Ferrer to the local Police Homicide Unit for a possible criminal investigation.
The move comes after pro-life advocates held a press conference earlier this month asking the Maryland Board of Physicians to take strong action against Ferrer.
The complaint against Ferrer revolves around a February 2006 abortion he did on a 21-year-old African-American woman, Denise Crowe, at Gynecare Center in Severna Park.
The woman sought a second trimester dilation and evacuation abortion procedure but it eventually claimed Crowe’s life and left her three-year-old son without a mother.
Ferrer is accused of failing to properly administer pain medications, failing to monitor the patient’s respiration and ventilation, and failing to employ standard methods of care to resuscitate the patient. He is accused of giving her a fatal overdose of meperidine, a narcotic also known as Demerol.
The case was stagnant for years until the Maryland Board of Physicians, in April, filed a petition against Ferrer for "failure to meet the standard of quality care" in his negligent treatment of Crowe that resulted in her death. That case is still under consideration and could take months to resolve.
At the same time, local and national pro-life groups, including Operation Rescue, banded together to call for the revocation of Ferrer’s license. Coordinated by the Maryland group, Defend Life, a complaint was filed with the State Attorney’s office through attorney Matt Paavla.
His complaint is the one forwarded to the Criminal Investigation Division’s Homicide Unit of the Anne Rundle County Police Department.
"Romeo Ferrer has proven himself to be a danger to the public. We understand that due process takes time, but we also understand that every day this quack is open for business is another day that we could see yet another woman injured or even killed," said Operation Rescue President Troy Newman
"An immediate emergency suspension of Ferrer’s medical license is necessary in order to protect women from further injury while these investigations are taking place," he added. "To that end we are seeking additional information about abortions done by Ferrer."
He continued, "If you or a friend or loved one has been negatively impacted by an abortion done by Romeo Ferrer at Gynecare Center in Severna Park, Maryland, we urge you to contact us immediately."
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