National Abortion Federation: Difference between revisions
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The '''National Abortion Federation''' (NAF) is an organization of [[abortion]] providers. Though originally a [[United States|U.S.]] group, NAF has expanded to include practitioners in Canada and Australia as well as many European countries. According to their web site, half of all [[abortions]] performed in the United States are performed by NAF members. |
The '''National Abortion Federation''' (NAF) is an organization of [[abortion]] providers. Though originally a [[United States|U.S.]] group, NAF has expanded to include practitioners in Canada and Australia as well as many European countries. According to their web site, half of all [[abortions]] performed in the United States are performed by NAF members. |
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NAF was established in 1977 with the merger of the National Association of Abortion Facilities (NAAF) and the National Abortion Council (NAC). |
NAF was established in 1977 with the merger of the National Association of Abortion Facilities (NAAF) and the National Abortion Council (NAC). They participates in a variety of activities, including [[lobbying]] efforts, public outreach campaigns, and maintaining a hotline referring women to member practitioners. The organization annually holds a meeting to address areas of concern to abortion facilities, such as political challenges, staffing, and legal issues. Since 1981 NAF has also held an annual Risk Management Seminar to address clinical aspects of abortion practice. They also publishes a set of clinical guidelines for practitioners. |
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NAF is particularly controversial to [[pro-life]] organizations because a small number of member doctors have been involved with legal troubles such as [[malpractice]] and illegal abortions.{{fact}} |
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NAF participates in a variety of activities, including [[lobbying]] efforts, public outreach campaigns, and maintaining a hotline referring women to member practitioners. |
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NAF annually holds a meeting to address areas of concern to abortion facilities, such as political challenges, staffing, and legal issues. Since 1981 NAF has also held an annual Risk Management Seminar to address clinical aspects of abortion practice. NAF also publishes a set of clinical guidelines for practitioners. |
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==Controversy== |
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[[Mark Crutcher]], in his book ''[[Lime 5]]'', raised allegations that the National Abortion Federation was harboring unsafe practitioners, and referring unwitting women to physicians and facilities with a history of [[malpractice]] and patient [[deaths]]. Crutcher cited a number of accusations of [[malpractice]] by NAF members and deaths at NAF facilities. Crutcher also cited numerous taped telephone conversations between one of his employees and a NAF hotline counselor during which the caller was repeatedly assured that there had been no patient death at Albany Medical Surgical Center, even though a 13-year-old abortion patient had died there of a massive overdose of [[Brevital]]. |
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The first NAF death to make headlines was the death of an 18-year-old newlywed in 1977. The woman had been referred by a local women's group to Hope Clinic for Women in [[Granite City]], [[Illinois]]. Though the woman was too weak after the procedure to walk unaided, she was discharged in the care of her sister. She bled to death from a uterine tear.<ref>"$1 million abortion suit in teen's death," Chicago Tribune, August 31, 1977, p. 1:6; Perry County (IL) Coroner's Report 6/20/77; "Abortion Clinic Sued In Death," St. Louis Post-Dispatch, June 15, 1979, 3A; CDC Abortion Surveillance Annual Summary 1977, p. 10-12</ref> |
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The most spectacular case of a NAF member in trouble was that of [[Abu Hayat]] in [[New York City]]. In 1991, Hayat initiated a 32-week abortion in his office. After removing the right arm of the fetus, Hayat sent the patient home, with instructions to return the following day to complete the procedure. In pain, she instead went to a [[hospital]] where she delivered a maimed baby girl. The case made headlines, and women came forward with allegations of malpractice and sexual abuse. Hayat had also, reporters learned, performed a botched abortion the year before, causing the death of a 17-year-old patient. The medical board stripped Hayat of his license, and he was convicted of illegal abortion in the maiming incident. The 1991 National Abortion Federation Annual Report lists Hayat as a member.<ref>New York Daily News 11/21/91; Washington Times 11/21/91; New York Post 11/21/91, 11/22/91; New York Times 11/22/91, 11/23/91, 11/24/91; New York Department of Health Case No. BPMC-92-13-A, Medical Board Determination and Order</ref> |
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More recently, a cluster of deaths after [[RU-486]] abortions in southern [[California]] raised questions as to the drug's safety. Two of the four woman who died had obtained their mediations at NAF member facilities. One woman obtained her medication at a [[Family Planning Associates Medical Group]] facility, becoming the twelfth confirmed abortion death at FPA.[http://realchoice.0catch.com/library/deaths/bl04cbryant.htm] The other woman's dose, administered at Eve Surgical Center, was prescribed by Christopher Dotson. At the time of the fatal abortion, Dotson had not yet completed eight years medical board probation for gross negligence and incompetence in causing the death of a patient.[http://realchoice.0catch.com/library/deaths/bl05oshevin.htm] |
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==References== |
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<references/> |
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==External links== |
==External links== |
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Revision as of 00:31, 15 August 2006
The National Abortion Federation (NAF) is an organization of abortion providers. Though originally a U.S. group, NAF has expanded to include practitioners in Canada and Australia as well as many European countries. According to their web site, half of all abortions performed in the United States are performed by NAF members.
NAF was established in 1977 with the merger of the National Association of Abortion Facilities (NAAF) and the National Abortion Council (NAC). They participates in a variety of activities, including lobbying efforts, public outreach campaigns, and maintaining a hotline referring women to member practitioners. The organization annually holds a meeting to address areas of concern to abortion facilities, such as political challenges, staffing, and legal issues. Since 1981 NAF has also held an annual Risk Management Seminar to address clinical aspects of abortion practice. They also publishes a set of clinical guidelines for practitioners.
NAF is particularly controversial to pro-life organizations because a small number of member doctors have been involved with legal troubles such as malpractice and illegal abortions.[citation needed]