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Updated on May 16 to include the Texas Department of State Health Services investigation.

HOUSTON, May 15, 2013 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Houston prosecutors and officials with the state of Texas announced Wednesday that they have launched criminal investigations of Douglas Karpen, the late-term abortionist who twisted newborn babies' heads off with his bare hands according to his former employees.

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After an intense pro-life lobbying effort, the Harris County District Attorney's Office announced Wednesday afternoon it had opened an early probe into allegations raised by three former employees that Karpen was guilty of infanticide in a manner reminiscent of Kermit Gosnell.

“We have several people looking into the allegations,” said Sara Marie Kinney, a spokeswoman for the Harris County DA's office. 

The Texas Department of State Health Services is also looking into the shocking allegations. Carrie Williams, a DSHS spokeswoman, said, “This is a very high priority for us.”

Lt. Gov. David Dewhurt had demanded a full-scale investigation earlier that day.

“In a week when serial murderer Kermit Gosnell was found guilty of killing babies, I read with disgust about the allegations of Houston-based abortionist Douglas Karpen performing illegal late-term abortions surrounded by appalling sanitary conditions in his clinic,” Dewhurt said in a statement that quoted and linked to the expose published by Operation Rescue.

“The Harris County authorities should perform a full-scale investigation and take action against those who broke state law,” he added.

Deborah Edge, Krystal Rodriguez, and Gigi Aguliar offered horrifying testimony about conditions inside one of Karpen's three abortion facilities, Aaron Women’s Clinic on Schumacher Lane.

“Most of the time the fetus [sic] would come all the way out before he either cut the spinal cord or introduced one of the instruments into the soft-spot of the fetus in order to kill the fetus,” Edge said in a video released by Life Dynamics earlier this week. “Either that or twisting the head off the neck with his own bare hands.”

The abortionist also suffocated babies by putting his finger down their windpipes, and placed at least one living baby, who was born on his office floor, inside a trash bag.

The three women said that one baby, whom Karpen believed had died during the abortion, was born alive, opened its eyes, and clutched the abortionist's finger.

“Most of the time,” Edge added, “the fetus would come completely out, and of course, the fetus would still be alive” and breathing.

In addition to their eyewitness accounts, extremely disturbing photos of his newborn victims, taken in 2011, may be seen here.

Click “like” if you want to end abortion!

“Karpen might have a little newer equipment and a little cleaner clinic, but his shoddy practices certainly mirror those of convicted murderer Kermit Gosnell,” Operation Rescue's Cheryl Sullenger said.

The women contacted Operation Rescue for help.

Sullenger submitted their testimony and photographs to the Texas Medical Board (TMB) with a statement noting Karpen’s documented history of botched abortions, including one that killed 15-year old Denise Montoya, who hemorrhaged and died after a 26-week abortion in 1988.

The website for Karpen's three abortion offices says, “Every woman deserves world class care.”

While awaiting a response Abby Johnson's ministry, And Then There Were None, offered the three whistleblowers some financial assistance, and the Alliance Defending Freedom handled their legal concerns.

On February 8, Operation Rescue received a letter from the Texas Medical Board, stating, “The investigation referenced above has been dismissed because the Board determined there was insufficient evidence to prove that a violation of the Medical Practices Act occurred.”

As of this writing, neither the TMB nor Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott has stated that it will investigate the charges of infanticide.

Pro-life activist Bryan Kemper of Stand True Ministries dubbed Karpen “Texas' Gosnell.”

Contact information:

Greg Abbott, Attorney General of Texas
Office of the Attorney General
PO Box 12548
Austin, TX 78711-2548
Voice: (512) 463-2050
E-Mail: [email protected]

Texas Medical Board
333 Guadalupe
Tower 3, Suite 610
Austin, TX 78701
Voice: (512) 305-7010
E-Mail: [email protected]

Mike Anderson, District Attorney Harris County, Texas
1201 Franklin Street, Suite 600, Houston, Texas 77002-1923
Voice: (713)-755-5800
E-Mail: [email protected]