On Sept. 13, 2007, Laura Smith, 22, died during an abortion procedure performed by abortionist Rapin Osathanondh, a Harvard-affiliated obstetrician, at the Women’s Health Center in Hyannis.
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Boston.com reports:
By all accounts, Laura Smith lived life to the fullest, according to her family and friends.
“She never seemed to suffer any ill effects because of her upbringing,’’ Tom Smith said yesterday afternoon in Barnstable District Court. Smith continued, turning from Judge Gary Nickerson to [abortion doctor] Rapin Osathanondh, sitting about 20 feet away.
“You, sir,’’ Smith started, but was interrupted by Nickerson, who advised him not to comment directly to the defendant. Smith turned again to Osathanondh and continued, “You, sir, destroyed a precious flower that blossomed in our lives, not accidentally but on purpose.’’
9/14/2010
The Cape Code Times is Reporting
The doctor who performed an abortion on Laura Hope Smith and admitted that his actions led to her death while she was under his care was led out of Barnstable Superior Court in handcuffs this afternoon.
In addition to receiving a jail sentence for pleading guilty to the criminal charge of involuntary manslaughter, Dr. Rapin Osathanondh, 67, settled a civil suit and will pay $2 million to Smith’s parents, Tom and Eileen Smith of Sandwich.
Technically, Osathanondh was sentenced to two and a half years in jail, but through the plea bargain that time was reduced to six months, with release on parole after three months in the jail. Should Osathanondh be arrested or violate conditions of his probation after his release, he could be sent back to jail to serve out the entire two-year term. In addition, his sentence includes nine months home confinement during which he must wear an electronic monitoring device and cannot leave his house except in emergencies or for a pre-approved medical appointment; he can not practice medicine, cannot teach anything having to do with medical science and cannot contact the family.
The sentence also prohibits him from commenting on the case in any Internet social networking site, with Facebook specifically mentioned.
Defense attorney Paul Cirel said Osathanondh has “the most profound remorse and regret for Laura’s death for which he has taken and accepts responsibility.”
Osathanondh said nothing during his sentencing, but turned his eyes towards his victim’s parents as Tom Smith began to speak about the loss of his daughter. Osathanondh dropped his head as Smith told the court that he and his wife adopted Laura when she was 4 years old. “Laura was a delightful girl … she had a unique smile and a personality that lit up a room,”
Eileen Smith said, “Today man’s justice is being issued … the court is showing mercy.”
Smith, 22, never awoke after undergoing the procedure at the Women’s Health Center in Hyannis on Sept. 13, 2007.
Osathanondh pled guilty to involuntary manslaughter yesterday – the third anniversary of Laura Hope Smith’s death.
Last week, Maryland suspended the medical license of abortion doctor Romeo Ferrer, who killed Denise Crowe during an abortion he performed in 2006, declaring that Ferrer presented such a danger that “the public health, safety or welfare require emergency action in this case.”
This month, Maryland also suspended the medical licenses of Utah abortionist Nicola Riley and Delaware abortionist George Shepard for their participation in an illegal late-term abortion scheme that landed one woman in the hospital with life-threatening injuries. That scheme was operated by the notorious Stephen Chase Brigham, whose New Jersey license has been suspended effective Thursday. News story below:
Vicki Saporta, spokesperson National Abortion Federation contends that abortion is safe despite the facts that women are dropping like flies in injuries and deaths. Saporata, said this regarding the suspension of two additional abortion doctors involved in a serious abortion related injury in Maryland, “It is no surprise that abortion opponents are attempting to use the recent investigation of a Maryland clinic to depict abortion as unsafe and providers as unregulated. However, this case is not representative of the state of abortion care in Maryland or throughout the rest of the country….Yet, that is exactly what abortion opponents are doing. They are using this opportunity to call for more regulations on all providers in an attempt to further their goal of limiting women’s access to abortion care…Abortion providers should not be targeted for more regulations based on the troubled career of Steven Brigham.” However, earlier this week, Saporta said this, “They need to expand their investigation and look at all of the clinics he owns and operates in Maryland and determine if they, in fact, are also providing substandard care, And if so,” she added, regulators should “close them permanently.”
In 1990 according to The Providence ( A Canadian Newspaper) Abortionist Steven Brigham attended a National Abortion Federation Conference, where he was quoted in the paper as stating the NAF party line that , “We believe women deserve the best care.” Old news stories also indicate that despite Brigham’s despicable behavior of botched and dangerous abortions, pro-choice supporters routinely came out to escort women into his clinics.
More on Brigham here
Pro-Life leaders are holding a press conference Wednesday to discuss these abortion clinic injuries, deaths, sentences, suspensions, and illegal activities and will call for criminal charges against the four abortionists who were suspended last week..
“Today, justice was done,” said Operation Rescue President Troy Newman, who helped advise Eileen Smith after her daughter’s death and encouraged her to file complaints with the medical board and prosecutors. “Our condolences and prayers continue to be with the Smith family, who showed such an amazing strength of faith and courage throughout this ordeal.”
“This conviction is an object lesson to prosecutors across the nation that abortionists can and should be held criminally accountable to the law for the sake of justice and public safety. There are abortionists out there right now who are endangering the lives of women who should be joining Osathanondh in jail. We hope today’s sentencing will encourage prosecutors to file criminal charges against abortionists who are breaking the law. Leaving these kinds of cases to the medical boards and civil courts is simply not good enough.”
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