"Kelly" B.
Center for Reproductive and Sexual Health ("CRASH") was the
model abortion clinic -- a published review of their earliest patient records,
published by Bernard Nathanson, played a key role in "proving the
safety of legal outpatient abortion."
On August 10, 1988, 19-year-old K.B. (due to confidentiality, the public
record documents do not give the patient's name) was given anesthesia for
a safe, legal 14-week abortion. Since Life Dynamics calls her "Kelly" on their "Blackmun Wall" of women killed by abortion, I will refer to her as Kelly as well.
Shortly after the procedure, she showed signs of distress,
but emergency measures were not instituted for almost an hour. Kelly was
transported to Cabrini Medical Center where she was pronounced dead from
complications of anesthesia.
After Kelly's death, the health department investigated and found a mystery:
Kelly's chart listed her post-operative condition as "pink, responsive,
alert," even though she had gone into full cardio-respiratory arrest
by the time indicated on the assessment. They learned that the note had
been entered into the chart before the abortion was even performed.
The inspectors noted that CRASH "did not employ proper monitoring
equipment or procedures," "had no working EKG machine,"
and didn't have a cardiac defibrillator. They noted that no one on staff
was qualified to perform CPR. No one on staff was qualified to administer
anesthesia, and they did not use proper procedures or equipment. Anesthesia
was administered "by eye," with no means of accurately measuring
the dose. Dosage was estimated to be twice that recommended in the procedure
manual.
The operating rooms were found to be ill-lit, and there was no soap
or paper towels at the scrub sink. The scrub sinks were stained, the walls
and floors dirty, trash was stored in the scrub room. There were red make-up
stains on the oxygen masks and nitrous oxide masks, dusty tubing on the
suction machines, and blood on the wheels of the operating table.
CRASH had no documentation verifying the credentials or qualifications
of medical director David Gluck. Gluck had been previously convicted of
felony charges related to the sale of 48,000 Diluadid tablets to pay off
gambling debts. His license had actually been revoked two months before
K.B.'s death, but had been restored by judicial stay.
There was no evidence at the investigation two weeks after Kelly's death
that Gluck had reviewed her chart, or the charts of 18 other patients identified
as having suffered complications.
The state closed CRASH for 60 days, but it never re-opened.
Dr. Gluck went on to perform the fatal abortion on Alerte Desanges in 1994.
Sources: New York Health Department Order
No. 83383136, Case No. 11097; Associated Press 9/30/88; New York Medical
Board Statement of Charges and other documents, Calendar No. 12022 &
11018.
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