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WV Abortion Complication Charges Not Supported by Public Record

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Monday, December 16, 2013   

CHARLESTON, W.Va. - Charges that medical complications from abortions send women to a Charleston emergency room on a weekly basis are not supported by the public record. This summer, obstetrician Dr. Byron Calhoun wrote to state Attorney General Patrick Morrisey that he sees women in his hospital's emergency room "probably at least weekly" as a result of abortions.

However, extensive public records searches have found no confirmation of that. Sharona Coutts, director of investigations and research with RH Reality Check, sent public information requests to state medical regulators to see if there were documents supporting Calhoun's charges.

"We went and had a look, and what we found is there is not," Coutts said. "I think that there are serious questions over those claims, and they have not been answered by Dr. Calhoun."

Attorney General Morrisey has been reviewing medical regulation of abortion clinics, and could recommend that lawmakers tighten those rules. But other, independent investigations have uncovered no evidence of serious medical problems at these facilities. Coutts said a review done by the state Department of Health and Human Resources, which regulates clinics and medical facilities, found "no complaints or adverse health events" in the last five years.

Her group also received a formal reply from the state Board of Medicine, she said.

"They investigate complaints of physician misconduct. And you know how many times they've received complaints about abortion care in West Virginia in the last five years? None," Coutts said.

Several separate checks of the Board of Medicine and other records showed the same results. According to academic research, abortion is statistically less dangerous for a woman than childbirth. Coutts pointed out that protecting the health of pregnant women is a priority for all.

"Everyone is on the same page in wanting to make sure that women are safe, and fear-mongering is really not helpful," she said.

Calhoun has not responded to repeated calls. Patient records at the Charleston Area Medical Center Women and Children's Hospital are confidential. Calhoun's employer, WVU Health Sciences, said they neither approved nor endorsed Calhoun's statements.

More information about Coutts' work is available at http://rhrealitycheck.org. West Virginia Board of Medicine records are at www.bvbom.wv.gov.




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