Illegal abortions put poor at risk

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LOS ANGELES, April 5 (UPI) - The Los Angeles Times reports (Sunday)
that thousands of Southern California women - mainly poor Hispanics -
are seeking illegal abortions from doctors who have either broken the
law or have had trouble with the state's licensing board. The newspaper
says over the past five years, only a handful of doctors and a clinic
manager in California have been charged with felonies in connection with
illegal or botched abortions, because the desperate patients usually
keep quiet even if they were injured by the procedure.

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Illegal abortions put poor at risk

LOS ANGELES, April 5 (UPI) - Thousands of Southern California women -

mainly poor Hispanics - are seeking illegal abortions from doctors who
have either broken the law or have had trouble with the state's

licensing board. The Los Angeles Times (Sunday) reports that over the

past five years, only a handful of doctors and a clinic manager in
California have been charged with felonies in connection with illegal or
botched abortions, because the desperate patients usually keep quiet
even if they were injured by the procedure.

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Illegal abortions put poor at risk

LOS ANGELES, April 5 (UPI) - Despite living in an era of legal
abortions, thousands of Southern California women reportedly continue to
seek abortions from high-volume doctors with questionable professional
reputations.

The Los Angeles Times reports today that mainly poor Hispanic women
seek these abortions, sometimes late in their pregnancy, from physicians

who have either broken the law or have had trouble with the state's
licensing board.

Over the past five years, the newspaper says, only three doctors and
a clinic manager have faced felony charges in connection with illegal or
botched abortions that led to the deaths of three patients.

State records showed at least one doctor performed about 100
abortions per week, but all three had long medical board records, the
Times said.

Medical Board Executive Director Ron Joseph said high-volume abortion
clinics are difficult to regulate because they're legal, and the only
time authorities find out about questionable doctors is when a patient
ends up in the emergency room with complications.

One such incident occurred last month and resulted in the arrest of
Dr. Gordon Goei after his 42-year-old patient was admitted to a Los
Angeles hospital and told police about her abortion. Police then found a
26-week-old fetus inside a clinic.

The 55-year-old Goei is free on bail and said he was never aware that
his license had been suspended.

But Joseph said prosecuting doctors is difficult, because not all
victims are willing to testify. Most are desperate patients and usually

keep quiet even if they were injured by the procedure.

--

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