Roundup: Florida Doctor Loses License Over Live Birth Case

Florida Doctor Loses License Over Live Birth Case
A Florida doctor has lost his license over a case in which a teenager, seeking an abortion, instead gave birth "to a baby she says was killed when clinic staffers put it into a plastic bag and threw it in the trash," reports CNN. The teenager, Sycloria Williams, discovered she was pregnant at 23 weeks and scheduled an abortion. When she came to Dr. Pierre Jean-Jacques Renelique's clinic for an abortion, she then gave birth. The suit says, "The staff began screaming and pandemonium ensued. Sycloria watched in horror and shock as her baby writhed with her chest rising and falling as she breathed."

A clinic co-owner entered the room and used a pair of shears to cut the baby's umbilical cord, the suit said. She "then scooped up the baby and placed the live baby, placenta and afterbirth in a red plastic biohazard bag, which she sealed, and then threw bag and the baby in a trash can."

Staff at the clinic did not call 911 or seek medical assistance for Williams or the baby, the suit said.

Renelique arrived at the clinic about an hour later and gave Williams a shot to put her to sleep. "She awoke after the procedure and was sent home still in complete shock," the suit said.

Police were notified of the incident by an anonymous caller who told them the baby was born alive and disposed of.

"The complainant [Williams] observed the baby moving and gasping for air for approximately five minutes," according to a police affidavit requesting a search warrant for the clinic.

Two search warrants found nothing, but officers executing a third warrant "found the decomposing body of a baby in a cardboard box in a closet," the suit said.

The baby was linked to Williams through DNA testing, the lawsuit said. An autopsy showed it had filled its lungs with air prior to death. Documents from the state Department of Health said its cause of death was determined to be "extreme prematurity."

Fewer than 1 percent of babies are born at less than 28 weeks, according to the March of Dimes, a nonprofit organization aimed at reducing premature births, birth defects and infant mortality.

Infants born at that stage may survive, but require treatment with oxygen, other medical help and mechanical assistance to help them breathe. They are too immature to suck or swallow and so must be fed intravenously.

Babies born before about 32 weeks of gestation face the highest risk of health problems, the March of Dimes said.



"I don't see this as an abortion story," said Karen J. Nelson, chief operating officer of Planned Parenthood of Western New York, to the Buffalo News. "I see this as a story about an individual doctor accused of violating medical standards, and the officials in Florida are taking care of it."

Casey Votes Against Global Gag Rule, Said to Be "Cooperating...with Evil"
Anti-choice Sen. Bob Casey Jr. voted against an amendment to the SCHIP expansion that would have reinstated the global gag rule, and Diocese of Scranton Bishop Joseph F. Martino has accused him of "cooperating with ... evil." "Martino praises Casey for supporting children's health insurance, but disputes his arguments. The Helms amendment, he says, does nothing to stop groups from promoting abortion with their own money. He chastises Casey for supporting artificial contraception," CitizensVoice.com reports. CitizensVoice adds, "Casey contends legislative amendments authored by the late Sen. Jesse Helms of North Carolina and the late Rep. Henry Hyde of Illinois and adopted into federal law forbid the use of U.S. funds by foreign groups to pay for or promote abortions."

Future of Legislation Addressing Reproductive Health in Obama Era
What's the future for federal legislation addressing abortion in the Obama era? Progressive measures will likely move more slowly than pro-choice advocates may have expected, reports James Oliphant on the Baltimore Sun.

Despite gains in the House and Senate in last year's elections, there are still significant numbers of moderate Democrats, particularly in the House, who either oppose abortion altogether or are not in favor of sweeping changes, instead preferring a more incremental approach. And any large-scale effort involving something as polarizing as abortion necessitates spending political capital, something the Obama White House needs in abundance at the moment to ensure the survival of its economic policies.

Oliphant examines the prospects for the Freedom of Choice Act:

Topping [the anti-choice movement's] list of concerns is what's known as the Freedom of Choice Act, first introduced in the early 1990s. To abortion-rights supporters, the legislation would codify the constitutional right to abortion that was established by the Supreme Court in 1973 and prevent states from limiting that right.

But pro-choice members of Congress respond:

At the same time, Democratic leaders on the Hill are taking a go-slow approach. The office of Sen. Barbara Boxer, a California Democrat and past sponsor of the Freedom of Choice Act, says there are no plans to reintroduce the bill in the immediate future. And Rep. Diana DeGette, a Colorado Democrat who co-chairs the Congressional Pro-Choice Caucus, said the bill "is not our top priority right now."


Sen. Boxer to Chair Subcommittee on Global Women's Issues
Sen. Barbara Boxer will chair a new Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on International Operations and Organizations, Human Rights, Democracy, and Global Women's Issues, Women's eNews reports. Boxer said the subcommittee would address the "overlooked issue" of violence against women. "Too often, we turn our eyes away as women are persecuted, abused and treated as second-class citizens. But even the most conservative historians have noted that when women are given the freedom to live up to their full potential, society as a whole flourishes," Boxer said.

Study Finds No Link Between Fertility Drugs and Ovarian Cancer
Feministing picks up a New York Times story reporting that a large-scale study has found no link between fertility drugs and ovarian cancer. " the individual drugs (but may have been treated with one of the other medications).

"After adjusting for risk factors, the researchers concluded there was no increase in ovarian cancer risk associated with the drugs, nor was there an increased risk for women who underwent 10 or more cycles of treatment or for women who never became pregnant despite treatment," the Times reports on the conclusions of the study.


"Personhood" Movement Spreads


PewSitter.com reports that 15 states have introduced or will soon introduce "personhood" amendments, state constitutional amendments that define life as beginning at the moment of conception:

The Personhood movement is catching fire as Maryland joins 15 other states across the country working toward the legal recognition of all human beings as "persons" under the law. Delegate Don H. Dwyer, Jr. will introduce a Personhood Amendment this coming week in the Maryland General Assembly. The amendment recognizes all human beings from their biological beginning as "persons."