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CV NEWS FEED // A Christian pro-life organization is demanding justice for 18-year-old Alexis “Lexi” Arguello, who died in February of complications from a second-trimester abortion she had obtained at a Colorado-based Planned Parenthood.
Operation Rescue Chief Operating Officer Sarah Neely said in a March 13 press release that her organization has been working for weeks to gather information on the death to determine what exactly took place. Operation Rescue’s investigation is ongoing. A testimony at the Colorado Committee of Health and Human Services (HHS) March 12 hearing about House Bill 25-1252, a bill on regulating abortion facilities, provided another perspective regarding Lexi’s death.
In her testimony, Dr. Keri Kasun, a pharmaceutical medical professional, explained that one of Lexi’s family members connected with her, seeking answers about the medical complication that Lexi experienced after the abortion.
Lexi was 22 weeks pregnant when she went to the Fort Collins Planned Parenthood to abort the child, according to Kasun. Kasun said Lexi’s grandfather told her what happened when he and his wife were called to the hospital on Feb. 6 – the day they learned that Lexi was pregnant and the day that Lexi died.
“[Lexi’s grandfather] could see the heroic efforts the doctors were doing to save her life, and he could see the deep concern in their faces that the situation was very dire,” Kasun said. “Her vitals were all over the place, the oxygen levels were horrible. After multiple doses of epi and seven liters of blood, his granddaughter’s blood pressure dropped — her heart rate and blood pressure dropped — and he [had] seen in his granddaughter’s face that it was her end.”
Kasun explained that a complication called amniotic fluid embolism (AFE) can occur after an abortion or delivery. According to Kasun, Lexi experienced one, and it caused her to develop disseminated intravascular coagulation, a serious blood clotting condition. Kasun noted that Lexi did not have this condition before going into the abortion facility.
Lexi’s grandparents “were devastated over the loss of their grandchild, and their great grandchild that day,” Kasun said.
Gestational age poses a risk factor for AFE, Kasun noted. Operation Rescue President Troy Newman pointed out in the press release that the risk of complications increases in an abortion the further along in pregnancy the mother is.
“Did anyone tell Lexi about that risk before she chose to undergo a procedure that ultimately cost her life, along with the life of her child?” Newman asked in the press release.
Kasun said during her testimony that Planned Parenthood told Lexi’s grandfather that she wasn’t transferred quickly enough.
“She didn’t receive the urgency of care that would be required in order to have a chance to survive this condition,” Kasun said. “Instead, she got the silent siren treatment.”
According to Operation Rescue, the “silent siren treatment” is a tactic Planned Parenthood uses when they have to call for an ambulance. Operation Rescue slammed Planned Parenthood for downplaying medical emergencies with this tactic, which involves requesting no sirens be sounded. It delays the time it takes for patients to receive the treatment they need. According to Operation Rescue, local witnesses also said that ambulances going to the Fort Collins Planned Parenthood take side routes rather than using the more accessible entrance, staying “hidden and out of sight.”
The investigation Operation Rescue is conducting includes seeking record requests and interviews, according to Neely. The organization has also connected with one of Arguello’s family members, offering condolences and legal connections.
“Complaints will also be forthcoming,” Neely said. “Planned Parenthood must be held accountable for this complete failure in patient care.”
