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Abortion facility responsible for Keisha Atkins’ death agrees to $900k settlement
The family of Keisha Atkins has earned some level of justice for their daughter’s untimely death, as Southwestern Women’s Options (SWO) — the abortion facility responsible for her death — has settled with her estate to the sum of $900,000, according to the ABQ Journal. The University of New Mexico (UNM) also settled in the suit, paying $365,000 of the total amount awarded — $1.26 million.
In 2017, Atkins underwent a late-term abortion at 24 weeks pregnant. She was referred to SWO in Albuquerque, New Mexico, by UNM. Though Medicaid does not cover elective abortions, abortionist Dr. Shannon Carr testified under oath that she marked the abortion as necessary for Atkins’ mental, physical, emotional, and familial health based on “sheer speculation,” allowing the abortion to be covered.
Yet despite these claims from Carr, Atkins was healthy prior to her abortion, and Carr only spoke with Atkins for roughly 20 minutes. Carr admitted that she assumed, due to Atkins’ status as a young, single mother, not having an abortion would cause Atkins to suffer from depression, anxiety, and economic instability.
Late-term abortions typically take multiple days to complete. According to documents obtained by Abortion on Trial, Atkins was drugged repeatedly by SWO staff with fentanyl and Versed (midazolam), both of which are known to cause “serious breathing problems.” They also gave Atkins oxycodone and two doses of Mifeprex (the abortion pill) as part of an experiment. Atkins was drugged again each time she returned to the facility over the course of four days. After SWO administered the drugs, they sent her back to her hotel room without any medical supervision.
On the final day, February 3, Atkins returned to the abortion facility and went into respiratory distress. She was taken to the hospital, where she died, and her death was originally ruled as “natural” from pregnancy. Doctors at the hospital did not all agree with this ruling, as it was clear Atkins died from sepsis caused by her abortion.
The lawsuit, filed by Atkins’ mother Tina, claimed SWO and UNM did not provide proper care to Atkins, failing to diagnosis sepsis two days into the abortion procedure or give her the treatment that would have saved her life. Despite settling, SWO and its abortionists still deny any wrongdoing.
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