Baltimore, MD, March 19, 2013 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Members of several pro-life groups led by Students for Life in America attempted to present the Maryland Board of Physicians (MDBP) with 5,000 letters signed by concerned citizens in support of a complaint against late-term abortionist LeRoy Carhart for the death of Jennifer Morbelli as the result of a 33-week abortion.
Morbelli, a 29-year-old kindergarten teacher, died in early February after going to Carhart's late-term abortion facility in Germantown, Maryland for an abortion. Her death certificate indicated that the cause of death was Disseminated Intravascular Coagulation “due to or as a consequence of Amniotic Fluid Embolism following Medical Termination of Pregnancy.”
The MDBP has confirmed that it is conducting a preliminary investigation into Morbelli's death.
Yesterday, however, two officials for the MDBP, including Executive Director Carole Catalfo, refused to accept the letters in support of the existing case and abruptly sent the group of concerned citizens away with boxes of letters still in hand. The group was told, “Public opinion doesn’t matter.”
Troy Newman, President of Operation Rescue, called the dimissal “rude.”
Click “like” if you are PRO-LIFE!
“As a public servant whose duty it is to protect the public from shoddy and dangerous medical practices, one would think Ms. Catalfo would be more sensitive to the concerns of people she is supposed to protect,” he said. “If she isn’t interested in public accountability, maybe she is in the wrong line of work.”
In addition to Students for Life in America and Operation Rescue, other coalition groups supporting the StopCarhart.com signature drive include JillStanek.com, Live Action, LifeSiteNews.com, The Survivors, and Rock for Life.
The complaint against Carhart alleges that he abandoned Morbelli and could not be reached by the family or hospital emergency staff just hours after her 33-week abortion, which caused a fatal delay in obtaining critical emergency care. It also raises concerns about the safety of the late-term abortion process in an outpatient facility where women are drugged into labor then sent off to a hotel room where they are not monitored and have no access to immediate care in the event of an emergency.
“Ms. Catalfo certainly needs to hear from pro-life supporters for the stubbing our strongly held concerns about the safety of women across the nation who travel to Maryland for late-term abortions,” said Newman.
The coalition plans to extend the deadline for signing letters to April 4 with the goal of amassing as many signatures as possible to send to the Board .