An Illinois doctor is facing a lawsuit from a woman who claims he left half of her unborn child inside her body following a botched abortion. The medical negligence suit was filed earlier this week, nearly two years after the procedure. According to multiple news reports, the woman—a 32-year-old mother known only as Jane Doe—claims that Dr. Keith Reisinger-Kindle also perforated her uterus during the abortion.

In April 2023, “Jane Doe,” already a mother of four, traveled from her home state of Indiana to Champaign, Illinois, to abort her unborn child at 22 weeks gestation. The procedure was performed at the Equity Clinic by Reisinger-Kindle on April 1 and 2. The woman was discharged, but she called the clinic the following day when she was still experiencing cramping. Clinic workers told her to take Tylenol or ibuprofen and a laxative. But on April 4, when she was still in pain, they instructed her to seek emergency care.

At the hospital, doctors discovered parts of her unborn child in her pelvis, as well as a hole in her uterus. The remains of the child were surgically removed at the hospital.

The lawsuit alleges that just one day later, Reisinger-Kindle refused to answer any questions from one of the surgeons who treated Jane Doe at the hospital. An outside obstetrician-gynecologist who consulted on the case claims that Reisinger-Kindle “deviated from a reasonable standard of care” when he performed the abortion.

Reisinger-Kindle is a prominent abortion provider in Illinois—a state that quickly became known as an abortion destination after Roe v. Wade was overturned in June 2022. Ironically, the Chicago Tribune featured him in a story just weeks after the debacle involving Jane Doe in 2023 and before it was made public. In that article, he said that he began working at abortion clinics at 18 years old. “The only reason I went to medical school was to be an abortion provider,” he said.

According to the New York Times, in 2023, an estimated 23,000 women traveled to Illinois for abortions, some coming from as far away as Texas, Louisiana, Florida and Georgia. The state has some of the most lenient abortion restrictions in the country. Most women can procure an abortion up to 26 weeks gestation, while 24 weeks is widely considered to mark viability, or the time when a baby may survive outside the womb. Even after 26 weeks, women may petition to undergo an abortion “to preserve general health (including mental health).” Girls under 18 also do not need parental consent for abortions in the state.

“This case serves as a grim reminder of the horrors of late-term abortion and the complete disregard for the well-being of both the mother and her child,” said Margie Christie of Dayton Right to Life.

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