Prolife activists were joined by members of Cree Erwin’s family for a press conference on April 13, leading to the release of additional details about Erwin’s death following her abortion at Planned Parenthood in Kalamazoo.
It’s only through her death certificate that we could confirm that the abortion caused Erwin’s death on July 4, 2016. The heavily-redacted autopsy report hid any mention of how she died from a blood clot and perforated uterus following her abortion. The Kalamazoo Gazette filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request and this time Calhoun County’s FOIA coordinator released the autopsy report with the relevant details included.
Erwin’s blood clot was caused by a 4-centimeter tear in her uterus following her abortion and IUD placement. The tear went entirely through the uterus. The medical examiner also found 250 cubic centimeters of blood near her uterus, indicating that Erwin was bleeding internally.
An important addition to this evidence are the hospital records released by Erwin’s family. Bronson Battle Creek Hospital found that the abortion was incomplete, meaning parts of her baby or the placenta was still in her womb (the medical examiner made no specific mention of this in the autopsy report).
The hospital did not find the perforated uterus, and also did not find a clot.
Erwin was sent home with prescriptions for pain killers and told to follow-up with Planned Parenthood or a doctor in three days following the Fourth of July weekend. Erwin didn’t make it, dying about 24 hours after leaving the hospital.
Here it’s worth remembering that abortion is plainly not “between a woman and her doctor.” In most cases no lasting relationship is formed between an abortionist and the woman. Often the first meeting is when the abortionist walks into the operating room. What sort of meaningful follow-up really exists when the patient is typically just a faceless name on a piece of paper?
To recap, we now know that Planned Parenthood in Kalamazoo botched the abortion, leaving Irwin with a 4-centimeter perforation and remains of her child inside of her. Her serious complications were not apparent or detected two days later at a hospital, and she died from blood clots in her lungs.
It’s always important to remember that left in the wake of this abortion are Erwin’s family, including her very young son.
How will Planned Parenthood be held accountable for their actions? There’s more of this story to come.
Daniel Miller is responsible for nearly all of National Right to Life News' political writing.
With the election of Donald Trump to the U.S. presidency, Daniel Miller developed a deep obsession with U.S. politics that has never let go of the political scientist. Whether it's the election of Joe Biden, the midterm elections in Congress, the abortion rights debate in the Supreme Court or the mudslinging in the primaries - Daniel Miller is happy to stay up late for you.
Daniel was born and raised in New York. After living in China, working for a news agency and another stint at a major news network, he now lives in Arizona with his two daughters.
