A wrongful death lawsuit has been filed against Planned Parenthood and Northwestern Memorial Hospital by the mother of a woman who died shortly after she had an abortion in July.
According to the Cook County Medical Examiner, Tonya Reaves experienced hemorrhaging at a Michigan Avenue Planned Parenthood clinic and died shortly afterward at Northwestern.
An autopsy was performed, which found that Reaves’ death was caused by a hemorrhage after a cervical dilation and evacuation, which was performed during an intrauterine pregnancy. The death was ruled to have been accidental.
According to a lawsuit filed in Cook County Circuit Court, Reaves’ mother, Dorsey Johns, alleges that Planned Parenthood staff performed the abortion carelessly and failed to monitor Reaves’ condition properly after the procedure.
The lawsuit also alleges that Planned Parenthood did not take proper action to stop the bleeding, and that the on-call doctor was not adequately warned about the potentially life-threatening development.
Northwestern is also named in the lawsuit. It allegedly did not take proper action to stop the bleeding.
Immediately following Reaves’ death, the CEO of Planned Parenthood Illinois, Carole Brite, issued a statement to Reaves’ family expressing condolences. The statement said that there is a very high safety record for legal abortions in the U.S., but that Planned Parenthood offered its “deepest sympathies” to the family.
The lawsuit requests a minimum of $120,000 in compensation. Reaves has a surviving son, who is one year old.
Paul Greenberg is a Chicago wrongful death attorney and Chicago wrongful death lawyer with Briskman Briskman & Greenberg. To learn more call 1.877.595.4878 or visit https://briskmanandbriskman.com/.