News

LONDON, England, May 31, 2002 (LSN.ca) – A surgeon who aborted a baby without the mother’s consent – during a hysterectomy she herself had requested – was found guilty of serious professional misconduct Thursday by England’s General Medical Council, the Independent newspaper reports.  Barbara Whiten, now 43, did not know she was 11 weeks pregnant when she sought a hysterectomy in 1993 to relieve abdominal pain. Reginald Dixon, now retired, discovered the fetus but proceeded with removing the ovaries and uterus with the fetus inside. Although Mrs. Whiten herself sought to have herself sterlized, she has repeatedly complained that, “The actions of Mr. Dixon have blighted my life.”  The GMC’s professional conduct committee gave the surgeon, who is now retired, a severe reprimand. The committee said Dixon should have stopped when he found his patient was pregnant, said he had failed to provide appropriate supervision to his junior staff, and did not ensure Mrs. Whiten understood the nature and purpose of her operation and obtain “informed consent.”  For coverage in The Independent see: https://news.independent.co.uk/uk/health/story.jsp?story=300759   For previous LifeSite coverage see: https://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2002/may/02052806.html