Medical malpractice should never be tolerated in Chicago and throughout the U.S., but there are some incidents of malpractice that are especially shocking and extremely difficult for victims, families and the community to understand.
For example, a woman recently filed a lawsuit against a Planned Parenthood doctor for forcing her to have an abortion after she had told the doctor that she did not want to go through with the procedure. After performing the procedure, the woman suffered additional injuries because the abortion had not been performed correctly.
The woman’s attorney has stated that what happened to his client is an example of how Planned Parenthood is more focused on profit instead of women’s health. However, Planned Parenthood claims that it does everything possible to properly educate women about abortion before they elect to go through with the procedure.
According to the lawsuit, the woman had met with a doctor at Planned Parenthood to get an abortion pill. During the appointment, though, the woman learned that she would need to undergo surgery to terminate the pregnancy because she was further along than what she had thought. The woman opted to have the surgery performed, but when a medical assistant had trouble setting up an IV, the woman decided that she did not want to go through with the procedure.
The woman told her doctor that she did not want to have the abortion; however, the doctor ignored the woman’s request and performed the procedure.
Two days after the operation was performed, the woman sought medical treatment at a hospital. Doctors at the hospital discovered that the woman had developed an infection because the doctor at Planned Parenthood had failed to perform the abortion correctly.
Doctors certainly have a responsibility to perform surgical operations correctly and in safe manners. And when patients decide that they do not want to have certain procedures performed, doctors should respect these wishes and discuss other options with patients before proceeding with an operation or treatment that a patient may not be comfortable with doing.
Source: Colorado Springs Gazette, “Planned Parenthood doctor accused of forcing abortion,” Kassondra Cloos, Feb. 27, 2013
- Our firm provides counsel to patients and families who have suffered pregnancy-related injuries as a result of medical malpractice or surgical mistakes. To learn more about protecting medical negligence victims’ rights, please visit our Chicago surgical errors attorneys page.
