California abortionist who killed woman will surrender his license

by John Jalsevac

SACRAMENTO, California, January 28, 2011 (LifeSiteNews.com) — The Medical Board of California has made an agreement with troubled abortionist Andrew Rutland to surrender his medical license on February, 11, 2011, ending a long and sordid career.

“This decision was many years in coming,” said Operation Rescue President Troy Newman, whose group has closely followed the case of Rutland. “It is a victory for women and babies who will never have to be subjected to his shoddy, back-alley practices.”

Rutland was first licensed in California in 1973. His license was revoked in 2002 after two babies died due to his negligence. At that time he was also charged with frightening women into agreeing to unnecessary hysterectomies, botching surgeries, lying to patients, falsifying medical records, over-prescribing painkillers and having sex with a patient in his office.

In 2007, Rutland reapplied and was granted a new license.

“This was a huge mistake by the board,” said Newman. “It ended up costing one woman her life.”

The board aggressively pursued Rutland after 30-year-old Ying Chen died from a reaction to anesthesia at a dirty San Gabriel acupuncture clinic in August, 2009. The board attempted to suspend Rutland’s license on an emergency basis, but a judge instead ordered Rutland not to commit surgical abortions while allowing him to continue prescribing the abortion pill.

However, Operation Rescue subsequently caught Rutland offering abortion appointments and reported him to the Medical Board.

In June of last year, the medical examiner reclassified Chen’s death as a homicide. The board filed an amended complaint, charging that Rutland did not adequately secure Chen’s consent for a second trimester abortion or recognize the severity of her condition. He attempted the abortion at an unsafe facility that did not have proper emergency equipment or trained staff, and did not call 911 when he should have.

Rutland has not been criminally charged; in his surrender agreement, he did not admit to guilt on the homicide count. The District Attorney told reporters that a criminal case is under investigation.

This news comes on the heels of the arrest of Kermit Gosnell and nine of his employees for murder and other violations of the law of an eerily similar nature to Rutland’s.

“The political climate that has shielded abortions for decades is changing. Boards and prosecutors who once yawned at allegations of abortion abuses are now turning a keen eye toward them,” said Newman. “These cases send a strong message to abortionists everywhere that they are no longer above the law.”