By Gudrun Schultz
ORLANDO, Florida, April 10, 2006 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The Florida Board of Medicine has decided not to take disciplinary action against abortionist Dr. James Scott Pendergraft.
Pendergraft, who spent seven months in prison for extortion before his conviction was overturned through lack of evidence, was facing complaints to the Florida Department of Health for criminal and inhuman treatment of a woman and her baby when she gave birth to a living child during an abortion at one of his clinics.
The complaints were filed in April 2005, on behalf of the mother, Angele. After taking drugs to induce labour, Angele was left alone during the delivery of her 23-week son, who was born alive.
“I felt so bad. I felt so helpless. I had been so wrong to come here…I wanted to fix and change everything once I saw Rowan’s precious little face and body,” Angele said.
Despite her cries for help, clinic workers refused to call 911. Angele said she tried to comfort her son, “I stroked his precious little head and kept telling him I loved him and we would be okay.”
Eventually, she ran to get her cell phone, holding the baby still attached by the umbilical cord. Rowan died before help arrived.
Other clinic violations included improper treatment of Angele and unsanitary conditions in the clinic—reportedly, there was dried blood on the floor and walls.
Dr. Pendergraft and his Orlando-based real estate adviser Michael Spielvogel were indicted in federal court in 2000 for conspiring to extort millions of dollars from Marion County government.
ÂPendergraft had filed a lawsuit against the county and a dozen pro-life demonstrators, saying the county had failed to provide adequate protection to his abortion clinic, the Ocala Women’s Center.
The county counter-filed, saying Pendergraft and Spielvogel were attempting to force the county to offer him a buy-out for the clinic.
Pendergraft served six months of his three-year sentence before the conviction was overturned for lack of evidence.
The Florida Board of Medicine considered revoking the doctor’s licence, but members voted to dismiss the case instead.
See previous LifeSiteNews coverage:
Abortion Clinic That Refused To Help Mother Whose Baby Was Born Alive Facing Legal Complaints
https://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2005/apr/05042902.html
Abortion Clinic Workers Refuse To Help Mother Screaming to Save Live Child
https://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2005/apr/05042504.html