Janet Fosterteens, 1970s, preroelegal, california, quackery, infectionSUMMARY: Janet Foster, age 18, died September 14, 1971 after an abortion performed by Richard Neal at Valley Doctors’ Hospital in North Hollywood, CA.
Eighteen-year-old Janet Foster underwent a safe and legal abortion at the hands of Richard Neal at Valley Doctors’ Hospital in North Hollywood, California on September 11, 1971. Janet’s abortion had been a “therapeutic” abortion approved by the hospital committee, as was required at the time. Neal reported that he’d estimated the pregnancy at 12-weeks and performed what he thought was an uneventful suction abortion.
Janet’s brother-in-law reported that she was very weak and sleepy when he picked her up at the hospital. After returning home, Janet suffered abdominal pain after returning home, and called Neal on September 14. He told her he’d see her the next day. Janet felt ill, so she went to bed early. In the early morning hours, Janet went into convulsions.
Her brother-in-law and paramedics attempted to revive her, to no avail; Janet was pronounced dead at 3:55 am.
The autopsy found that in Janet’s uterus was a “macerated, lacerated and purulent male fetus of about 19 weeks gestation. This fetus measures 14.5 cm. in crown-rump length, shows lacerations in the shoulder area, evisceration of the bowel through an abdominal laceration, and destruction of the skull and facial structures.” Janet’s uterus also contained “approximately 20 cc. of red-brown purulent and foul-smelling liquid with similar odor and color to an exudate on the endometrial surface.” Janet’s death attributed to septicemia due to “incomplete abortion, therapeutic, septic.”
An LA County grand jury indicted Neal on a felony manslaughter charge in Janet’s death. The 1976 trial ended with a hung jury.
As you can see from the graph below, abortion deaths were falling dramatically before legalization. This steep fall had been in place for decades. To argue that legalization lowered abortion mortality simply isn’t supported by the data.
Sources: LA County Coroner Case No. 71-9846 and LA County Superior Court Case No A310874
- 1900s
- 1910-1919
- 1920s
- 1930s
- 1940s
- 1950s
- 1960s
- 1970s
- 1980s
- 1990s
- 19th century
- 2000-2009
- 20s
- 30s
- 40s
- NAF
- abortifacient
- abortion
- abortion mill
- abortion mortality
- abortionists
- abortionists — female
- abortionists — male
- alabama
- anesthesia
- arizona
- black women
- botched abortion
- california
- chicago
- colorado
- connecticut
- cover-up
- death
- deaths
- deception
- delay in transport
- delay in treatment
- district of columbia
- dumped body
- ectopic
- embolism
- falsifying forms
- fetal indications
- florida
- former criminal abortionist
- george tiller
- georgia
- hemorrhage death
- hospitals
- illegal – doctor
- illegal – midwife
- illegal – nurse
- illegal – paramedical
- illegal – post roe
- illegal – unknown
- illegal – untrained
- illegal abortion
- illinois
- inadequate documents
- inadequate equipment
- inadequate resuscitation
- incomplete abortion
- indiana
- infection
- kansas
- legal abortion
- llinois
- louisiana
- maryland
- massachusetts
- maternal indications
- maternal mortality
- michigan
- mills
- missouri
- mortality
- national abortion federation
- new jersey
- new mexico
- new york
- north carolina
- ohio
- oklahoma
- pennsylvania
- planned parenthood
- pre-roe legal
- previous misconduct
- prostaglandin
- quackery
- questionable stories
- ru-486
- rupture
- saline
- secret abortion
- self-induced
- suicide
- teens
- texas
- wisconsin
=R. E. Neal= 
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