News

Monday April 12, 2010


Doctor Who Killed “Wrong” Unborn Twin Has License Revoked

By James Tillman

TAMPA, Florida, April 12, 2010 (LifeSiteNews.com) — The Florida Board of Medicine has revoked the medical license of a Sarasota doctor who killed the “wrong” unborn baby in a “selective reduction” procedure.

Selective reduction is a procedure in which a doctor kills one or more of multiple unborn children by injecting a feticide into the fetus slated to be aborted. Its use has increased because of modern fertility treatments, which often result in women carrying multiple babies.

In 2006, Dr. Matthew Kuchinas attempted to kill one of two twins because it had Down syndrome and a possible heart defect, despite the fact that he had never performed the selective reduction procedure before. He found out a week after performing the procedure that he aborted the wrong fetus; the other child was killed shortly thereafter.

According to Health News Florida, he defended himself by stating that his patient knew he had never done the technique before and that he hated to tell patients “no.” Kachinas has also said that there must have been a problem with the ultrasound machine he was using to target one of the fetuses.

Such testimony was found unpersuasive, and the Florida Board of Medicine revoked Kachinas’ license last weekend. He has now been involuntarily hospitalized after telling a reporter that he intended to kill himself.

Kachinas had also been charged with two, less-serious offenses. In 2002 he attempted to smuggle the anesthesia drug Propofol with him when going to his job in Tampa by taping vials to his legs beneath his pants. He said that the clinic did not keep it in stock and he preferred that drug to others.

In 2004 he allegedly falsified records by claiming that an aborted fetus had died naturally.

Dr. Kachinas had also previously been accused of headbutting pro-life protestor Linda McGlade after she attempted to speak to him peacefully.