Boston woman sues after failed abortion. Anti-gay doctor failed to detect pregnancy

[Ian David]

BOSTON -- A Boston woman who gave birth after a failed abortion has filed a lawsuit against two doctors and Planned Parenthood seeking the costs of raising her child.

The complaint was filed by Jennifer Raper, 45, last week in Suffolk Superior Court and still must be screened by a special panel before it can proceed to trial.

Raper claimed in the three-page medical malpractice suit that she found out she was pregnant in March 2004 and decided to have an abortion for financial reasons.

Dr. Allison Bryant, a physician working for Planned Parenthood at the time, performed the procedure on April 9, 2004, but it "was not done properly, causing the plaintiff to remain pregnant," according to the complaint.

Raper then went to see Dr. Benjamin Eleonu at Boston Medical Center in July 2004, and he failed to detect the pregnancy even though she was 20 weeks pregnant at the time, the lawsuit alleges.

More:
http://www1.whdh.com/news/articles/local/BO45374/

Dr. Benjamin Eleonu and his wife, Clara Elenu, both apparently hate gay people.

Could Dr. Eleonu have had a hidden (fundie) agenda?

http://www.knowthyneighbor.org/thelist.php?searchValue=Eleonu&searchField=last_name&sortBy=last_name&sortDir=ASC&page=1&anchor=list#list

[Prophet 451]

1. Oh, THIS is going to get interesting! n/t

[Breeze54]

2. wth?

"he failed to detect the pregnancy even though she was 20 weeks pregnant at the time"

Is she and the "doctor" braindead? Five months pregnant?
I find it hard to believe that she or the dr didn't know.
She must have known something was up, if she went to see another Dr!
:shrug:

[Kali]

3. uh yeah the missed periods were probably WHY she went to see a doc

I think most women who would have had an abortion would have assumed it worked - so you miss a period or two...first time maybe just a hormonal thing - easy to dismiss, then another ... I can see how it could happen.

[Breeze54]

4. She would have felt movement.

Me thinks! ;)

[Kali]

6. gas

hahahaha (I've had two kids - if you weren't looking for it it could be mistaken, doesn't feel like a gymnastic event until later)

[Breeze54]

10. I've had three kids and I knew it wasn't gas!

;)

Gas and 'fluttering' feels totally different, imho. Not the same at all.

[Kali]

12. I agree, but given the situation - especially if unexpected and inexperienced

strange feelings in the abdomen could be seen as gas.

[Breeze54]

14. This is not her first pregnancy.

The woman has a child, so she's been there before.
She didn't want a second child, hence the abortion.

[Kali]

15. oh well

:shrug:

(I didn't read the article - guess I should have - I was just talking in general terms)

[SemperEadem]

16. having been pregnant and speaking from MY experience with it

it doesn't feel like someone's drumming your insides until you're 6 months into it.

20 weeks is about 4 1/2-5 months.. you'd barely feel anything, and if you did, it would feel like gas after eating beans. And also, one has to remember not every pregnancy is the same--what she may have felt with the first, she may not have felt with the second.

I agree with the missed periods... you bleed heavily for about a week and a half, but then your periods normalize--she would have had a period by the 3rd month post.

[Ian David]

13. You're assuming the doctor "missed" the pregnancy by accident

Woman: Doctor, I had an abortion a few weeks ago and I think something's wrong

Doctor Eleonu : Let me examine you. Hmmm... (If I tell her she's pregnant, she might get another abortion, and that would make Baby Jesus cry... just as if a gay person got married).

Woman: Well?

Doctor Eleonu : You're fine.

See:
http://www.knowthyneighbor.org/thelist.php?searchValue=Eleonu&searchField=last_name&sortBy=last_name&sortDir=ASC&page=1&anchor=list#list\

[vote5polend]

5. Man id hate to be that kid

imagine when he gets older if he finds out about all this. What a mind-job.

[Kali]

7. Oh I don't know. I can evision scenarios that go either way.

Miracle kid that is really loved and appreciated. Or the obvious unwanted burden. In my own case I never felt much for my two pregnancies until they were born - that was when the bond occured for me - so that could be a possibility. Plus it would seem to me she has a slam-dunk of a set of lawsuits there. Money might not be a problem any more either.

[imfreaky]

8. I'm sure there are lots who would love to adopt the baby.

[Control-Z]

9. I've neve heard of a failed abortion

Well, yes I have, "botched" and all, but never a legal one, performed by a real doctor, that left the woman still pregnant.

Does anyone know how often this happens? Any statistics?

'Dr. Allison Bryant, a physician working for Planned Parenthood at the time, performed the procedure on April 9, 2004, but it "was not done properly, causing the plaintiff to remain pregnant," according to the complaint.'

[Kali]

11. maybe there were twins?

but yeah I imagine it is pretty rare, or at the very least would induce some kind of miscarriage later...