Category: Provider Hall of Shame

Abortionist Hipolito Barreiro, owner of the Women’s Care abortion clinic in Miami, was charged with manslaughter in connection with the January 4, 1983 death of 33-year old Shirley Payne. He had not bothered to acquire a license to practice medicine in the United States. He performed abortions on women who were not pregnant. He asked a licensed physician to take responsibility for one of the women he killed. He used unsterile instruments and had three women employees with no medical training dress and act as nurses.

Barreiro had previously killed at least three other women with his “safe and legal” abortions, including 23-year old Ruth Montero on August 7, 1979; 25-year old Maura Morales on May 8, 1981; and 26-year old Myrta Baptiste on December 18, 1982. Barreiro’s abortion mill was unlicensed, because when the State of Florida attempted to regulate abortion clinics, their owners filed suit to protect their unlicensed status, and a circuit judge found that the law was “unjust.” Eventually, public outcry made the courts realize they could protect and defend this abortion mill no longer, and Circuit Court Judge Joseph Nadler ordered it closed.

There were many less severe but still tragic incidents of botched abortions at this abortuary over the years. On August 4, 1978, Carmen Neumann had her uterus and bowel perforated at the abortuary. It took her months to recover, including 15 days in a hospital. Digna Harris nearly died after her May 21, 1980 abortion, also having her uterus and bowel punctured. She settled out of court for $39,000 in damages. Avis Quarrel sued abortionist Alfred Pin after being victimized by an October 1980 botched abortion. Linda Mckinnon nearly died after her July 10, 1981 abortion. Jane Carroll had her uterus ruptured during her December 29, 1981 abortion and had to have a hysterectomy. Ivonne Bruno had a huge tear in her uterus caused by a May 9, 1982 abortion and had to have a total hysterectomy.

It should be noted that local and national pro-abortion groups loudly and vigorously defended this clinic.

References: Steve Sternberg and Bob Lowe. “Abortion Clinic’s Files Seized: Four Have Died After Operations at Miami Center.” The Miami Herald, January 8, 1983, pages 1A and 7A; “4 Patients Have Died Since Abortion Clinic Opened in ’78.” The Miami Herald, January 7, 1983, pages 1A and 7A; Steve Sternberg and Bob Lowe. “Clinic Owner is Held After Latest Death.” The Miami Herald, January 8, 1983, pages 1A and 8A; Steve Sternberg. “Judge Shuts Abortion Clinic; U.S. Joins Death Probe.” The Miami Herald, January 11, 1983, page 1A; New York Daily News, January 12, 1983; Miami Herald, January 5, 1983; State Report. “The Back Alley Comes to Main Street.” ALL About Issues, April 1983, page 29; State Report. “Abortuary Closed After Fourth Woman Dies.” ALL About Issues, March 1983, page 29.

 

 

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Abortionist Orlando Zalvidar had his medical license revoked twice due to botched abortions.

He supervised another abortionist, Hipolito Barrierio, who aborted Myrta Baptiste at the Woman’s Care Clinic on December 18, 1982. She arrived at a nearby hospital in critical condition due to delay of transfer and bled to death from two uterine perforations; Zaldivar could not be reached for 7 hours. Her abortion was done by an unlicensed practitioner and hence was technically illegal by CDC standards. Zaldivar’s license was inactive at the time, and he was evidently also supervising Hipolito Barrierio during this period.

Zalvidar had his medical license revoked in 1983 after aborting a 12-year-old girl, who suffered lacerations and required hospitalization.

Zalvidar’s medical license was revoked again in 1987 after at least four other cases of egregious malpractice.

References: Miami Herald, December 22, 1982, January 5, 1983, May 4, 1983 and November 17, 1986; Obstetrics & Gynecology News, September 1986; and Dade County Circuit Court Case #83-37733.

Credit: Abortionviolence.com

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Abortionist Daniel Holschauer got in trouble for using cocaine, lying to hospital officials and stalking patients.

According to NY State Board of Professional Medical Conduct Case # BPMC 01-99, abortionist Daniel Holschauer had been treated for cocaine abuse and was reported to have lied on his medical applications about his troubles.

Local news stated that he lied to officials at two hospitals when he applied for privileges at both hospitals, claiming he’d never had a problem with drugs or alcohol abuse. An article in the The Times Herald Jan 6, 2001) stated that in fact, he’d been in drug rehab for cocaine addiction, which had cost him a job in 1988, and which was an ongoing problem. He was also charged with stalking abortion patients that he wanted to have sex with.

Credit; Life Dynamics

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Dr. Ismail Elguindi got in trouble with the medical board when fetal parts were found in a trash container outside his clinic on April 8, 1989.

Autopsy reports on the fetuses say:

“FETUS #1: Parts of a fetus of indeterminate sex include a skull cap, both arms total with scapula intact, the entire vertebral column with a portion of rib cage attached, the pelvic girdle, the left femur, and both lower legs with feet attached. A kidney, the tongue, and one eye was also retrieved. Gestational age was estimated at 4 months, perhaps very slightly greater, estimated on length of long bones. Measurements are as follows: femur 28 mm. …foot length 18 mm. … hand length 15 mm. The tissue was evidently fresh from a viable abortion within hours. FETUS

#2: A beheaded male fetus of an estimated 7-8 weeks gestation. The length of the fetus from shoulder to rump is estimated at 2.2 cm… The arms and scapula girdle was traumatically detached and retrieved in a separate piece. Again the tissue is fresh from a viable and very recent abortion.”

The abortion of Fetus #1 outside a properly licensed facility constituted a felony. Elguindi was prosecuted for this felony. He said that the had once flushed fetal remains, but later conracted with a company to dispose of boxed fetal remains. The scandal cost Elguindi a $10,000 fine by the medical board, along with the loss of his medical license.
(Sources: Medical Board letter 2-22-95; The State 3-6-90, 7-26-91, 9-7-91, 5-18-94 , et al, Greenville News 3-6-90, Medical Board Final Order 10-31-91, Autopsy FA-89-446, AP 3-5-90)

Credit: Christina Dunigan

 

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Brigham and Women’s Hospital has been in the news recently when five nurses alleged that the staff abortionist threatened to kill them over some forms reportedly missing from the nurses’ station. Now, then, is an apt time to look at a previous Brigham and Women’s abortionist: Joan Golub.

First, we’ll look at the allegations of a patient I’ll call “Julie,” who went to Brigham and Women’s for a cone biopsy by Golub:

Julie was admitted for the cone biopsy on July 20, 1981. She said that she was not informed of the risks of a cone biopsy during pregnancy, and that staff did not wait for the results of a pregnancy test before proceeding with the biopsy.

After the procedure, Julie said, she was told that she “had been pregnant but that she was no longer pregnant due to the biopsy.”

Julie said that she never would have consented to a cone biopsy had she known of the pregnancy and of the risks to her fetus. Subsequently, however, she learned that the fetus evidently hadn’t died; she was still pregnant, but the “pregnancy was significantly compromised by the anesthesia, blood loss and other effects of biopsy.” Julie said that Golub told her that an immediate abortion was necessary, and Julie consented to have Golub perform the recommended abortion.

Julie had consulted with Golub, she said, after another doctor had told her that she might have cervical cancer. The defense argued that Julie would have consented to the biopsy anyway, and that due to her extreme anxiety over the possibility of having cancer, she probably would not have been able to carry the pregnancy to term anyway.

Due to persisting gynecological problems, Julie had to have a hysterectomy.

Source: Suffolk Superior Court Complaint No. 69630

Golub also had faced previous allegations about treatment of a patient at Bill Baird Center:

A patient I’ll call “Starleigh,” age 21, said that she had a 6-week abortion performed by Golub June 9, 1979, at the Bill Baird Center. She experienced excruciating pain during the procedure, and, as she said later, she asked Golub to stop “because I was losing consciousness.”

“Afterward,” Starleigh said, “I could not get up.”

Starleigh said that she was kept in the recovery room 1 1/2 hours, but was not examined by a doctor before she was discharged.

She returned to the clinic July 2, reporting pain and cramps. She also said that her period had not yet resumed. She was fitted with a diaphragm, and commented of Michael Rees, the doctor who saw her, “He was very condescending and his whole demeanor was one of arrogance.

Early in August, Starleigh called to report that she was still not menstruating, but they told her not to worry. She returned August 20 for a pregnancy test, which came back positive.

Starleigh said that Don Jaffe, another doctor at Bill Baird Center, told her, “I was at least 15 weeks pregnant, that I was having twins and that they only aborted one and not the other. He told me the best thing to do would be to go into the hospital and finish the job that was started.” Golub arranged this second abortion.

Starleigh said that while awaiting this second abortion, she suffered “anxiety attacks, insomnia, nightmares, periods of depression, and doubts about the upcoming operation.” She was admitted August 27 for the second abortion and discharged the next day.

Afterward, Starleigh said, she suffered from nightmares and depression. “I was hysterical and crying on and off much of the time, and after the second abortion for several months.” She added, “I have suffered from extreme anxiety since the second abortion.” She reported personality changes: “less friendly, less ambitious and energetic and more lethargic.” She sought psychiatric care and dropped out of school.

“At first I lost forty pounds. Now I am overweight and I care less about my appearance. I am more indifferent toward education and I am afraid of doctors,” Starleigh said of the aftermath of her abortions.

Golub and the Center each separately argued the lack of an enforcable contract between themselves and Starleigh, and won defense verdicts.

Source: Suffolk Superior Court Action No. 55286

Credit: Christina Dunigan

 

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On February 12, 2004, abortionist Ronald Stevenson was convicted on two counts of aggravated harassment of his customers. He had plea bargained more serious sex abuse charges.

He was originally charged with one count of second-degree felony sex abuse and four counts of third-degree misdemeanor sex abuse regarding his patients, but entered an “Alford plea,” where the defendant does not admit guilt, but takes advantage of a plea bargain offered by the district attorney’s office. The plea is legally viewed as a conviction.

The abortionist will be on probation for five years. He also had sexual molestation charged filed against him in October 1997.

Reference: “News Notes: Abortionist Convicted.” The Wanderer, February 26, 2004, page 3.

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Oregon State’s Board of Medical Examiners revoked abortionist Philip S. Alberts’ license in May of 1995, after it had received complaints from about one hundred women claiming that he had sexually abused them.

The Board ruled that he had committed sexual misconduct. Alberts also was charged with sexual abuse in a 29-count criminal indictment involving 18 victims.

The 62-year-old longtime Portland abortionist died of a stroke on May 29, 1995, before he could be tried on any of the charges. This meant that the 89 women who had agreed to testify against him would not get their say in court. The statute of limitations had expired on all but 29 incidents. Women stated that he had been molesting them right from the beginning of his 36-year medical career.

When, at the beginning of his medical career, he worked at the old Portland Air Base as a captain, some women said Alberts told them they shouldn’t complain about his actions because he could make life difficult for their husbands, who held lower ranks. Ilena Lacaden said that “I was absolutely terrified when he propositioned me. I didn’t think I had any power at all. I spent months just sitting in a closet, coming out just to take shower after shower, and trying to act normal around my husband. I wish I’d had the courage to do something years ago.”

On August 11, 1995, after a trial in Multnomah County Circuit Court, a jury awarded Terri Hunt $865,000 because Alberts had performed an unneeded hysterectomy, leaving her sterile and causing major bladder problems.

When Alberts died, he was also the defendant in five civil lawsuits, including two for alleged sexual abuse and one for allegedly taking unneccessary photographs of a patient’s genitals. It was unlikely that any of the victims would recover any damages, since the abortionist filed for bankruptcy in 1994.

Alberts was a fellow in the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology, former chief of staff at Woodland Park Hospital and former vice president of the Multnomah County Medical Society. He was also Secretary of the Gynecologic Laser and Advanced Technology Society.

Typically, in more than a dozen articles written by reporters for the Portland Oregonian – including two front-page stories – not a single one mentioned the fact that Alberts was an abortionist. The Oregonian did consider it newsworthy, however, to report all kinds of irrelevant details -that Alberts asked that his patients call him “Phil;” that he preferred maroon lab coats; that he wore Birkenstock sandals; that he had a private pilot’s license; that he drove a 1988 Saab with license plates “PMSRX” that is, the prescription for premenstrual syndrome; and that he wore a chain around his neck with a medallion of what appeared to be a vulva.

Not a single one of the pro-choice or feminist groups in the Portland area condemned Alberts’ actions.

References: Rick Bella and Steve Woodward. “State Ready to Revoke M.D. License of Alberts.” The Oregonian, January 20, 1995, page A01; Rick Bella. “Dr. Alberts Goes from Pinnacle to Pit in a Few Years.” The Oregonian, January 22, 1995, page A01; “Gynecologist’s Civil Lawsuits Will Come After Criminal Trial.” The Oregonian, January 25, 1995, page B05; Rick Bella. “Woman Sues Alberts About Genital Photos.” The Oregonian, February 25, 1995, page F03; Rick Bella. “Prosecution Plans to Call 71 Witnesses in Alberts’ Trial.” The Oregonian, March 17, 1995, page C01; Steve Woodward. “Medical Board Backs Away from Voluntary Limitations.” The Oregonian, March 20, 1995, page A08; Rick Bella. “More Women Will Testify in Sex Trial.” The Oregonian, April 21, 1995; Nena Baker. “Women Say Alberts Case Raised Public Awareness.” The Oregonian, June 1, 1995, page D01; “Woman Wins Claim Against Dr. Alberts for Unneeded Surgery.” The Oregonian, August 12, 1995, page D02.

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Dr. Joe Bills Reynolds was sued for fatally botching an abortion on 21 year old Gaylene Golden on September 30, 1985. But he really started doing damage when he began performing plastic surgery and liposuction.

He performed breast implants, a hysterectomy, and numerous liposuction procedures on his wife. His 60-year-old anesthetist had originally been hired as a janitor, and an untrained orderly was acting as his nurse. His operating room was littered with dirty cups and papers. He tried to collect $500,000 on his wife’s life insurance after she bled to death after he opened a 25-inch incision in her abdomen, ostensibly for liposuction, on September 7, 1989. Reynolds would not allow paramedics to aid her until he had finished stapling the huge incision. He told his wife’s father that she was assisting in surgery and just “fell dead.”

He was found guilty of second-degree manslaughter and voluntarily surrendered his Oklahoma medical license. Reynolds allegedly had two suits filed over liposuction malpractice, including the near death of his housekeeper Betty Adams August 11, 1989, due to perforated intestines.

Credit: Abortionviolence.com

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Abortionist Clarence J. Washington killed Mary Ann Dancy, the mother of five by lacerating her cervix during an abortion at the Fleming Center. She went home that evening, her condition worsened, and she died that night after emergency surgery at Halifax Memorial Hospital.

News articles claimed that he botched at least two other abortions.

Reference: Raleigh News & Observer, July 29, 1992 and July 21, 1993.

Source: Abortionviolence.com

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Abortionist William E. Brenner, a member of the National Abortion Federation (NAF) Standards Committee, was charged with overstating fetal age in order to charge more for abortions at his Triangle Women’s Health Center abortion clinic.

After Brenner was sentenced to 4 months in federal prison for tax evasion, his son told a reporter Brenner “was vacationing in the Bahamas before going to prison,” and that “his father hoped to continue practicing while incarcerated.” News articles said that Brenner allegedly “avoided paying thousands of dollars in taxes by diverting income to foreign corporations and bank accounts,” and that “he wrote off several personal items as business assets.”

Brenner was a former teacher at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He opened the Triangle Women’s Health Center abortion mill in 1982. He had his medical license suspended for one month in 1990 for improper disposal of aborted preborn babies, and for overbilling of insurance companies.

References: Raleigh News & Observer, August 29, 1992; Chapel Hill News, March 24, 1993; “North Carolina Abortionist Loses Medical License.” The Abortion Injury Report [American Rights Coalition], May 1993, page 1.

Credit: Abortionviolence.com

 

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