A Better Script for When an Abortion Clinic Calls an Ambulance

One bone I have to pick with some prolife groups is the way they immediately criticize any abortion facility any time they send a patient to the hospital in an ambulance. I find this short-sighted and ultimately dangerous. We want prochoice people to seriously look at claims that abortions are being performed safely, and do the women a disservice when actions might make facilities hesitate to call emergency services promptly.

I took my concerns to Grok, and ended up with this recommended template for dealing with these situations in a way that might actually get prochoice people to ask questions instead of just dismissing the story as hyperbole or hysteria:

"We commend Acme Reproductive Services for prioritizing patient safety by calling an ambulance for this unnamed woman experiencing complications. In a field where delays can be fatal, this quick action likely saved her life—contrast it with cases like Lexi Arguello, who died in 2025 when Planned Parenthood delayed care for an amniotic fluid embolism. 
However, we do have legitimate concerns about the facility's overall safety record. According to the Guttmacher Institute (a pro-choice research organization), serious complications requiring hospitalization occur in only about 0.3% of abortions. Acme Reproductive, based on state health department inspection reports, performs approximately 1,200 abortions per year. If Guttmacher's estimates hold, that should mean just 3-4 ambulance transports annually—yet this is already their third reported incident in the first three months of the year.
This discrepancy raises important questions: Are the low complication rates cited by advocates like the Alan Guttmacher Institute understated, or does Acme need to address underlying issues in training, protocols, or oversight? Women deserve transparency and real safety, not just access."
Let's put forth our assertions in a way that are most likely to lead to a healthy skepticism about American abortion practice rather than in a way that makes us look like we're always going off halfcocked.

1968: Legal “Therapeutic” NY Abortion Kills Rheumatic Heart Patient

28-year-old “Rita” was in the state of New York (but outside of New York City) when she underwent her legal but fatal abortion.

Rita was told to have an abortion because of a medical condition— rheumatic heart disease. She was three months pregnant when the “therapeutic” abortion was carried out.

Even before Roe v. Wade, “life of the mother” abortions were legal in every state. However, killing Rita’s baby was in no way a guarantee of her safety. As a side effect of the abortion, she suffered multiple pulmonary emboli and died.

The deaths of Rita and her baby are made even more tragic with the knowledge that the abortion wasn’t just lethal but unnecessary. Today, it is well-known in the field of medicine that cardiac patients are at a higher risk from an abortion than a healthy woman, and that the vast majority of pregnant patients with cardiac conditions will have a safe pregnancy and delivery with proper care. In fact, during pregnancy, stem cells from the unborn baby will migrate throughout the mother’s body and repair damage to the heart when necessary. Rita needed real medical care, not abortion.

New York State Journal of Medicine, January 1979 Edition (page 49–52)

Planned Parenthood: Bring Out Your Dead!

I wonder if so many people who be supportive of Planned Parenthood if they knew that when they stood with Planned Parenthood, they were standing on women's graves.

Click on the caption below each AI image for that woman's story.

Alexis "Lexi" Arguello

Alyona Dixon

Bonnie Hunt

Cree Erwin-Shephard

Diana Lopez

Diane Boyd

Edrica Goode

Elise Kalat

"Ella"

Hoa Thuy "Vivian" Tran

Holly Patterson

Irene Stevenson

"Luanne"

"Lucy"

Nichole Williams

Roselle Owens

Tonya Reaves

January 12, 1900: One of Many Deaths Linked to Paulina Bechtel

On January 12, 1900, Ida Henry, age 26, died at the home she shared with Dr. Paulina Bechtel, from complications of an abortion Bechtel had performed on her there that day. Bechtel, who said that she'd been practicing medicine for 18 years, was held by the Coroner's Jury. An undertaker had embalmed Ida's body prior to a post-mortem examination. He was censured for this compromising of evidence that would be found in the body, but was not charged with any crime. 

Bechtel had been tried in the October 3, 1895 abortion death of Mrs. Kittie Bassett. She was also implicated in the death of Barbara Shelgren shortly after Ida's death, but was identified as a midwife in that case. According to Leslie Reagan, author of When Abortion Was a Crime, it was common for female physicians to be misidentified as midwives, particularly if they practiced obstetrics. 

Bechtel went on to perform a fatal abortion on Mary Thorning in 1911. 

While looking for any additional information on the death of Ida Henry, I found two other deaths attributed to Dr. Bechtel: Carrie Marskl (September of 1904) and Mary Orning (December of 1911).

I've been unable to determine why Bechtel wasn't incarcerated after these deaths.

The 1970s: Two Wrongheaded Abortion Attempts and a Fatal Misdiagnosis

Sometime in the 1970s, “Tanya” underwent the first of two first-trimester suction abortion procedures. From there, she would have twenty-five days to live.

After the first attempt, Tanya was discovered to still be pregnant. A second suction abortion was attempted and she was sent on her way again. Both times, all opportunities to save her life were wasted.

Just a few weeks after the first abortion attempt, Tanya was bleeding internally and underwent surgery in an attempt to save her life. It was discovered that she had an ectopic pregnancy in her left fallopian tube, which was surgically removed to try to stop the internal bleeding. All attempts at treatment came too late and Tanya died.

Upon autopsy, the rest of the damage to Tanya’s body was found. Her reproductive system was so severely scarred that both ovaries were “bound down” by scar tissue. Her uterus was noted to be enlarged, and the pathologist determined that she probably had a rare condition: she was the mother of heterotopic twins. One twin had been in her left fallopian tube.

The gold standard for diagnosing a heterotopic pregnancy is an ultrasound. Had Tanya received an adequate pre-op exam and ultrasound before either of the abortion attempts, her condition should have been diagnosed. When she was still pregnant after the first attempt, that was a red flag that she needed to be screened for a possible ectopic pregnancy. Rare or not, Tanya’s condition should have been detected fairly easily before or after either of the abortion procedures.

It is also worth noting that Tanya had previously had two abortions. This may have caused or contributed to one of the twins being ectopic, especially because her organs were so scarred that her ovaries were bound down. It has long been known that past abortion is a risk factor for future ectopic pregnancy, most likely due to internal scarring like Tanya had. (One study even found that half of ectopic pregnancies in the studied region may have been attributable to past abortions.)

Studies have shown that the death-to-case rate for ectopic pregnancies concurrent with induced abortion is actually higher than for women not undergoing abortion. This is because of the all-too-common negligence these women experience at the hands of the abortion industry.

(“Tanya” is Patient 8)

January 9, 1986: Death in Puerto Rico

Rosael Rodriguez, age 27, died on January 9, 1986 after an abortion performed by Angel Acevado Montalvo in the U.S. Virgin Islands.

The only information I originally had on Rosael came from pro-life web sites and the Social Security Death Records. Priests for Life posts a list of women who have died from legal abortions, including Rosael Rodriguez, who died in January of 1986 at the age of 27, according to Social Security. She had been born on April 2, 1958. Priests for Life cite a March 5, 1992 article in the Virgin Islands Daily News.

Human Life International mentions that abortionist Angel Acevado Montalvo was charged with manslaughter in two cases of maternal deaths from safe, legal abortion.

HLI also notes that after his conviction, Montalvo went right back to business doing abortions.
Priests for Life also cites one other death, that of Diane Adams, from that article. 

I later found a United Press International snippet, published in the York Dispatch, noting that Montalvo had performed the abortion knowing that Rosael had only believed herself to be pregnant.

But then Keely, my research department, found the death certificate. This confirms the death date -- January 9. Rosael's full name was Rosael Rodriguez Rosado. She was born April 3, 1958 and left behind her husband, Israel Falcon Lopez. She had worked as a secretary. Her father was Victor Rodriguez Baez, and her mother Providencia Rosado. She died of respiratory failure due to shock. 

January 8, 2025: Post-abortion suicide

 “Jessica” took mifepristone and misoprostol for a chemical abortion. On January 8, 2025, she committed suicide by gunshot wound to the head. She was 35.

An anonymous healthcare professional reported her death to the FDA.

FAERS Case ID 25211134

January 8, 2004: Abuser's Sister Arranges Fatal Abortion

Taisha Glenn, the sister of 15-year-old Tamiia Russell's 24-year-old "boyfriend", Stacy Glenn, arranged an abortion in early 2004 without notifying Tamiia's family. Stacy Glenn, according to Frances Russell, Tamiia's mother, is a reputed drug dealer who has not been located since Tamiia's death. He paid the $2000 for the abortion.

Taisha took the girl to five different Detroit area abortion facilities, and was turned away from all five because of how far advanced Tamiia's pregnancy was. She was at least six months pregnant. One facility reportedly even offered prenatal care and vitamins. Finally Taisha found an abortionist willing to proceed -- WomanCare, a Winthorop Village abortion facility run by abortionist Abraham Alberto Hodari. 

Despite the fact that the pregnancy was the result of statutory rape, and despite the fact that he had no permission from Tamiia's parents or guardian, as required by Michigan law, the clinic agreed to take the case. Tamiia used an identification card with another woman's picture to claim that she was 19, but according to Tamiia's cousin, the woman in the picture ID looked nothing like Tamiia.

Tamiia's presumably safe and legal abortion was begun on January 7, when laminaria was inserted. Laminaria are sticks of seaweed used to dilate the cervix. Once home, Tamiia confessed to her aunt and mother that she was pregnant and she had begun the abortion. Tamiia's mother said that she called the clinic, and staff told her that the abortion must be carried out once the laminaria are inserted. This is not true; laminaria can be removed and the pregnancy continued successfully to term with medical supervision.

Based on the false claim that Tamiia had no choice but to go through with the abortion, her mother drove her to WomanCare on January 8 for the actual procedure. Tamiia bled heavily after coming home from the abortion -- so heavily that the blood soaked a mattress. Tamiia's mother called WomanCare, where staff told her that such bleeding was normal and instructed them not to bring Tamiia to a hospital. Her family ignored this advice and called an ambulance, which rushed the girl to Sinai-Grace Hospital, where she was dead on arrival.

Dr. Leigh Hlavaty, who performed the autopsy on Tamiia, said that her death was caused by "uterine infarction with sepsis due to status second trimester abortion." Hlavaty said, "I ruled it normal because these complications are expected with this type of abortion."

Dr. Miller, director of Citizens for a Pro-life Society, reports that there have been 23 lawsuits in the past 20 years against WomanCare facilities and Alberto Hodari for abortion injuries including complications resulting on hysterectomies on 19, 22, and 23-year-old women. All were dismissed, with many referring to undisclosed settlements. Hodari was also implicated in the deaths of Chivon Williams and Regina Johnson.

At the time of Tamiia's death, Womancare was a member of the National Abortion Federation.

Watch A License to Lie on YouTube.

Sources:

• "Family of Detroit Girl Who Died From Abortion Speaks Out," Life News, April 9, 2004

January 7, 2023: Two Anonymous Whistleblowers Report Chemical Abortion Death

Grok AI illustration

The unidentified woman known only as “Alina Roe” or FDA Adverse Event case 22147816 was killed by the use of the “safe and legal” abortion pill. Her case was reported to the FDA by an anonymous healthcare professional.

Alina was 31 when she underwent a chemical abortion using mifepristone and misoprostol. She suffered hypotension, bleeding, uterine enlargement, nausea, metabolic acidosis and an elevated white blood cell count before dying what was probably an excruciatingly painful death on January 7, 2023.

Another source separately reported a death to the FDA (21922968) that appears to be a duplicate of Alina’s case. Because of the highly ineffective report system, it’s hard to confirm if this is Alina or not. However, unless another 31-year-old woman was killed by chemical abortion using the same drugs on the exact same date, it can be concluded that this is probably another report of the same maternal death. If not for these whistleblowers, Alina’s case could have easily gone entirely unreported.

Source: FDA Adverse Event Report case 22147816 (see also case 21922968)

January 7, 1951: A Lay Abortionist in Atlantic City

SUMMARY: Velma Callahan, age 23, died on January 7, 1951, from complications of an abortion perpetrated by a lay abortionist, either Tess Truitt or John Rudick, in Atlantic City, NJ.

Velma Callahan, a 23-year-old waitress, died in her Atlantic City, New Jersey apartment on January 7, 1951, from complications of a criminal abortion.

Velma was a 1946 graduate of Montoursville High School in Montoursville, Pennsylvania. She was active in the Tri-Yi-Y, Home Economics Club, Glee Club, and Girls' Athletic Association. She acted in her school productions of You're Young Only Twice and was on the staff of the Blue and Gold, the school yearbook.

Investigating her death led to the breakup of a large-scale abortion mill in Atlantic City on January 19. Detectives found evidence that at during 1950 least 45 abortions had been perpetrated in a house connected with the ring. The couple charged about $400 for an abortion.

Police arrested a middle-aged couple, Tess Truitt and John Rudick, for running the abortion ring. The couple kept abortion records that went back to 1945.

Somehow the pair had also managed to compile a list of every pregnant woman in southern New Jersey. Police did not reveal how the couple got the names.

Source:

• "Large-Scale Abortion Mill Is Raided," Richmond (IN) Palladium-Item, Jan. 19, 1951