An elementary school teacher’s tragic death after having a late-term abortion last week has pro-life advocates infuriated and calling for officials to shutter the clinic that performed the procedure. Jennifer McKenna Morbelli, a 29-year-old from New Rochelle, N.Y., was purportedly 33 weeks pregnant when sought out the Germantown, Md., doctor’s office after allegedly learning that her unborn baby had developed abnormalities.

The complicated, multi-day procedure went very wrong, with Morbelli reportedly suffering a ruptured uterus and subsequently dying in a nearby hospital from severe internal bleeding. The Daily Mail notes that these details have not yet been confirmed by investigators and that the issues surrounding the case are not officially known. However, these are the elements that are being reported by anti-abortion advocates and the media, alike. Here’s the timeline of events, as reported by the Daily Mail:

On February 3, Mrs Morbelli, a substitute teacher from New Rochelle, and her husband arrived in Germantown  [Maryland] and checked into a hotel where they were to spend several days during the procedure.

Four days after having the abortion at Germantown Reproductive Health Services clinic, the young woman reportedly complained of chest pain and other discomfort.

At around 5am last Thursday, she was rushed to Shady Grove Adventist Hospital, where she passed away a few hours later from massive bleeding into her abdominal cavity.

According to the Washington Post, it is legal in Maryland to perform late-term abortions when an unborn child develops abnormalities or when the health or life of the mother is at risk. New York State’s laws are not as liberal, which is purportedly what led the woman to seek out-of-state assistance.

Jennifer McKenna Morbelli Dies After Alleged Abortion 33 Weeks Into Pregnancy

Jennifer McKenna and TJ Morbelli (Photo Credit: Pinterest)

Aside from a confirmation on the cause of Morbelli’s death, not much is known about the reasons for the late-term abortion, specifically the abnormalities that have been cited. The woman and her husband, TJ, were expecting a baby girl on March 20, whom they purportedly planned to name Madison Leigh.

Dr. LeRoy Cathart, 69, one of the only doctors overtly performing late-term abortions, is now being targeted by pro-life activists who believe that he botched Morbelli’s procedure. According to the Daily Mail, it was 2005 that Cathart first came into the cross-hairs after a previous patient died following an abortion.

Now, they are holding him personally responsible in the wake of this latest tragedy. On Monday, 150 pro-lifers demonstrated outside of the clinic and demanded that the clinic be shut down.

“We will not rest until this clinic is shut down and the license of LeRoy Carhart is revoked,” said the Rev. Patrick Mahoney, director of the Christian Defense Coalition. “God let it be so.”

The Maryland Office of the Chief Medical Examiner performed an autopsy, but the results won’t be ready for up to one month. The Maryland Office of Health Care Quality is currently investigating the death.

(H/T: Daily Mail)

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