13-year-old girl injured during legal 2nd-trimester abortion: Report

A young Illinois teenager reportedly had to be transported to a hospital after she was injured during a second-trimester abortion.

On April 28, a woman identified only as Beth called 911 to request an ambulance at the Hope Clinic for Women, an abortion clinic in Granite City, Illinois, just across the Mississippi River from St. Louis, Missouri. When the 911 dispatcher asked for some details regarding the medical emergency, he learned that the patient in distress was a 13-year-old girl who was suffering from a perforated uterus.

Operation Rescue, an anti-abortion group, accessed a recording of the 911 call through a public records request of Effingham County:

As brief as the phone call is, Operation Rescue expressed gratitude that it had even gained access to the recording at all since Hope Clinic had dialed a private ambulance company, RuralMed EMS. Operation Rescue has alleged that, in the past, some 911 dispatchers have attempted to circumvent the public records system to limit public knowledge regarding abortion-related medical emergencies.

According to Operation Rescue, pro-life protesters on the scene at the Hope Clinic that day witnessed an ambulance arrive and transport a patient. The pictures featured in the Rumble video were purportedly snapped by an Operation Rescue representative at the facility that day.

During the call, Beth at the Hope Clinic requested that the patient be transported to "Barnes," referring to Barnes-Jewish Hospital. Live Action News, a pro-life outlet, reported that Barnes-Jewish Hospital is 20 minutes away from Hope Clinic and that "there is a hospital within walking distance of the facility." The outlet speculated that Beth specified that the girl be taken to Barnes-Jewish rather than the hospital nearby because Barnes-Jewish is a Level 1 trauma center that can "handle more serious injuries."

A perforated uterus is certainly concerning. According to the Mayo Clinic, a uterine perforation occurs during a dilation and curettage abortion when "when a surgical instrument pokes a hole in the uterus." Though such perforations mainly heal on their own, some can lead to severe bleeding and, in rare cases, even necessitate a hysterectomy.

Details regarding the extent of the 13-year-old girl's injuries and her current condition remain unknown. However, aside from the physical trauma of an abortion-related injury, Troy Newman, president of Operation Rescue, noted that the girl has already endured another emotional trauma: rape. The age of consent is 17 in Illinois and 14, under certain conditions, in Missouri.

"It is unknown whether the abortionist who performed the botched abortion reported the child’s rape," Newman said. "My staff is looking into this and filing a formal complaint concerning this middle-school aged girl who was already violated sexually and then violated again by the blood-thirsty abortionists at this hopelessly dangerous facility."

Newman's language to describe the facility, though strong, aptly points out that the name "Hope Clinic" does appear to be grossly misleading. It was established to offer what it calls "compassionate abortion care," and women and girls may procure an abortion there until their unborn child is 27 weeks and 6 days.

"No parental notification or consent is required for abortion at Hope Clinic," the facility brags on its website. "Patients are able to make their own decisions about abortion and involve the people they trust most."

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