MIAMI, Florida (CNN) -- A doctor's license was revoked Friday in the case of a teenager who planned to have an abortion but instead gave birth to a baby she says was killed when clinic staffers put it into a plastic bag and threw it in the trash.
The doctor, Pierre Jean-Jacques Renelique, was not present when the baby was born, but the Florida Medical Board upheld Department of Health allegations that he falsified medical records, inappropriately delegated tasks to unlicensed personnel and committed malpractice.
Joseph Harrison, the attorney representing Renelique at the license revocation hearing in Tampa, said Renelique has not decided whether to appeal.
The state attorney's office, meanwhile, said its criminal investigation into the incident is ongoing and no charges have been filed. A fetus born alive cannot be put to death even if its mother intended to have an abortion, police said when the incident occurred in 2006.
The baby's mother, Sycloria Williams, sued Renelique, the clinic and its staff in January, seeking damages.
She alleges in her suit that "she witnessed the murder of her daughter" and said she "sustained severe emotional distress, shock and psychic trauma which have resulted in discernible bodily injury."
"This is not about a pot of gold," said Tom Pennekamp, her attorney. "What this is about is right and wrong and making a statement, making sure it doesn't happen to other young women."
According to the suit, Williams, then 18, discovered while being treated for a fall that she was 23 weeks pregnant. She went to a clinic to get an abortion on the morning of July 20, 2006, after receiving medication and instructions the previous day.
Renelique was not at the clinic, however, and Williams was told to wait for him. She was given two pills and told they would make her ill. When she complained of feeling ill, clinic staff members gave her a robe and told her to lie down in a patient room, the suit says.
Renelique was still not present when Williams "felt a large pain" and delivered a baby girl, according to the suit.
"The staff began screaming and pandemonium ensued. Sycloria watched in horror and shock as her baby writhed with her chest rising and falling as she breathed."
A clinic co-owner entered the room and used a pair of shears to cut the baby's umbilical cord, the suit said. She "then scooped up the baby and placed the live baby, placenta and afterbirth in a red plastic biohazard bag, which she sealed, and then threw bag and the baby in a trash can."
Staff at the clinic did not call 911 or seek medical assistance for Williams or the baby, the suit said.
Renelique arrived at the clinic about an hour later and gave Williams a shot to put her to sleep. "She awoke after the procedure and was sent home still in complete shock," the suit said.
Police were notified of the incident by an anonymous caller who told them the baby was born alive and disposed of.
"The complainant [Williams] observed the baby moving and gasping for air for approximately five minutes," according to a police affidavit requesting a search warrant for the clinic.
Two search warrants found nothing, but officers executing a third warrant "found the decomposing body of a baby in a cardboard box in a closet," the suit said.
The baby was linked to Williams through DNA testing, the lawsuit said. An autopsy showed it had filled its lungs with air prior to death. Documents from the state Department of Health said its cause of death was determined to be "extreme prematurity."
Fewer than 1 percent of babies are born at less than 28 weeks, according to the March of Dimes, a nonprofit organization aimed at reducing premature births, birth defects and infant mortality.
Infants born at that stage may survive, but require treatment with oxygen, other medical help and mechanical assistance to help them breathe. They are too immature to suck or swallow and so must be fed intravenously.
Babies born before about 32 weeks of gestation face the highest risk of health problems, the March of Dimes said.
Williams' lawsuit seeks damages from Renelique, the clinic and its staff. It claims that clinic records were falsified to say only that Williams underwent an abortion. Williams filed the suit individually and "as personal representative of the estate of Shanice Denise Osbourne, deceased," the suit said.
The medical board's action Friday came at the request of the Florida Department of Health, which filed an order in February 2007 seeking emergency restrictions on Renelique's license. Department documents list many of the same allegations as Williams' lawsuit.
"Dr. Renelique's failure to practice medicine with that level of care, skill and treatment that is recognized as being acceptable, as well as his willingness to falsify medical records, poses a serious and immediate danger to the public," the health department said.
Renelique did not respond to the health department or dispute the facts it alleged, department spokeswoman Eulinda Jackson said Friday.
Williams has declined to speak publicly about the case, said Pennekamp, her attorney. She suffers from post-traumatic stress because of the experience, he said.
A father accused of killing his 5-year-old son and wounding his wife inside his home was arraigned this morning in a Virginia Beach court.
Joseph Henry Hagerman III, 33, said late last night in media interviews that he decapitated his son that morning.
“If I didn’t take my son’s life, he would have lost his eternal salvation,” Hagerman said in an interview with WVEC-TV. “I know it’s a horrible thing.”
"I didn't want him to lose his salvation," Hagerman said. "I wanted him to go fast. I didn't want him to be tortured."
Hagerman, a night security guard for Virginia Beach Public Schools, appeared in Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court via closed-circuit TV from jail. He was charged with first degree murder and felonious assault and ordered held without bond.
The public defender’s office was appointed to defend Hagerman, who later obtained his own counsel. A bond hearing Thursday was postponed.
Hagerman served in the Marine Corps as an administrative clerk from June 1994 to November 1997, achieving the rank of corporal and leaving when his contract was up, according to the Marine Corps.
Joshua D. Hagerman was found in the home in The Lakes neighborhood, police spokeswoman Margie Long said. His body was taken to the medical examiner’s office in Norfolk to determine the cause of death. The boy's mother, who is the suspect’s wife, underwent surgery at a hospital for lacerations to her hand. Her injuries were not considered life-threatening, Long said.
The boy was not enrolled in the city's public school system, according to the school division.
Police cordoned off the neighborhood for hours on Tuesday while they investigated the incident. Long did not provide details about what led to the incident in the home, off Riverbend Road.
At 11:22 Tuesday morning, someone at the home, in the 3200 block of Sugar Creek Drive, called 911. When police responded to what was described as a stabbing call, they discovered the boy’s body.
Hagerman, who apparently had run a distance around the corner, was arrested at Riverbend Road and Lynnhaven Parkway. Police said he fought officers who were trying to handcuff him.
Jeff Guill of Chesapeake said he saw the man captured. Guill was driving down Lynnhaven Road, on his way to a business meeting, when he saw a man dart into traffic.
“He literally came within seconds of getting smashed by a dump truck,” Guill said. The man turned around and crossed in front of Guill, who pulled over next to him.
“Hey, are you OK?” Guill said he asked. “Is everything OK?”
Then Guill noticed that the man’s white T-shirt and sweatpants were covered in blood. Guill pulled away quickly.
He heard sirens; then police swept in and had the man in handcuffs within a minute, Guill said.
Hagerman has worked for Virginia Beach schools as a night security guard since August 2001, said schools spokeswoman Nancy Soscia. Hagerman worked a 10 p.m. to 8 a.m. shift, monitoring schools and responding to service calls. He has been suspended without pay.
Relatives of the Hagermans and neighbors declined to comment Tuesday.
A page on the social networking site MySpace that apparently belongs to Hagerman shows his photo and is private. But it does show his “status” - “Jesus Freak in the mood for ice cream" - and a quote: “Schizophrenia can't hold me down, Thank God for Jesus!"
Another MySpace page apparently belonging to his wife says, "God's love never changes.....His love never fails" and has a photo of Joshua.
BOY dad Alfie Patten yesterday admitted he does not know how much nappies cost — but said: “I think it’s a lot.”
Baby-faced Alfie, who is 13 but looks more like eight, became a father four days ago when his girlfriend Chantelle Steadman gave birth to 7lb 3oz Maisie Roxanne.
He told how he and Chantelle, 15, decided against an abortion after discovering she was pregnant.
The shy lad, whose voice has not yet broken, said: “I thought it would be good to have a baby.
“I didn’t think about how we would afford it. I don’t really get pocket money. My dad sometimes gives me £10.”
Alfie, who is just 4ft tall, added: “When my mum found out, I thought I was going to get in trouble. We wanted to have the baby but were worried how people would react.
“I didn’t know what it would be like to be a dad. I will be good, though, and care for it.”
Alfie's story, broken exclusively by The Sun today has sparked a huge political storm with Tory leader David Cameron saying: "When I saw these pictures this morning, I just thought how worrying that in Britain today children are having children.
"I hope that somehow these children grow up into responsible parents but the truth is parenthood is just not something they should be thinking about right now."
PM Gordon Brown refused to comment directly on the story but said it was important that the Government did all it could to prevent teenage pregnancies.
Alfie’s dad Dennis yesterday told how the lad does not really understand the enormity of his situation — but seemed desperate to be a devoted and responsible father.
He wanted to be the first to hold Maisie after the hospital birth. He tenderly kisses the baby and gives her a bottle.
And Dennis, 45, said: “He could have shrugged his shoulders and sat at home on his Playstation. But he has been at the hospital every day.”
Maisie was conceived after Chantelle and Alfie — just 12 at the time — had a single night of unprotected sex.
They found out about the baby when Chantelle was 12 weeks pregnant.
But they kept it a secret until six weeks later when Chantelle’s mum Penny, 38, became suspicious about her weight gain and confronted her.
After that Alfie’s family told only those closest to them for fear he would be “demonised” at school.
Chantelle gave birth to Maisie on Monday night after a five-hour labour at Eastbourne Hospital, East Sussex.
Last night she told The Sun: “I’m tired after the birth. I was nervous after going into labour but otherwise I was quite excited.”
Chantelle told how she discovered she was expecting after going to her GP with “really bad” stomach pains. She said: “Me and Alfie went. The doctor asked me whether we had sex. I said yes and he said I should do a pregnancy test. He did the test and said I was pregnant. I started crying and didn’t know what to do.
“He said I should tell my mum but I was too scared.
“We didn’t think we would need help from our parents. You don’t really think about that when you find out you are pregnant. You just think your parents will kill you.”
But Penny figured out what was going on after buying Chantelle a T-shirt which revealed her swelling tum.
Chantelle admitted she and Alfie — who are both being supported by their parents — would be accused of being grossly irresponsible. She said: “We know we made a mistake but I wouldn’t change it now. We will be good loving parents.
“I have started a church course and I am going to do work experience helping other young mums.
“I’ll be a great mum and Alfie will be a great dad.”
Chantelle and Maisie were released from hospital yesterday. They are living with Penny, Chantelle’s jobless dad Steve, 43, and her five brothers in a rented council house in Eastbourne. The family live on benefits. Alfie, who lives on an estate across town with mum Nicola, 43, spends most of his time at the Steadmans’ house.
He is allowed to stay overnight and even has a school uniform there so he can go straight to his classes in the morning.
Alfie’s dad, who is separated from Nicola, believes the lad is scared deep down.
He said: “Everyone is telling him things and it’s going round in his head. It hasn’t really dawned on him. He hasn’t got a clue of what the baby means and can’t explain how he feels. All he knows is mum and dad will help.
“When you mention money his eyes look away. And she is reliant on her mum and dad. It’s crazy. They have no idea what lies ahead.”
Dennis, who works for a vehicle recovery firm, described Alfie as “a typical 13-year-old boy”.
He said: “He loves computer games, boxing and Manchester United.” Dennis, who has fathered nine kids, told how he was “gobsmacked” when he discovered Alfie was to be a dad, too.
He said: “When I spoke to him he started crying. He said it was the first time he’d had sex, that he didn’t know what he was doing and of the complications that could come.
“I will talk to him again and it will be the birds and the bees talk. Some may say it’s too late but he needs to understand so there is not another baby.”
Lovely
Chantelle’s mum said: “I told her it was lovely to have the baby but I wish it was in different circumstances. We have five children already so it’s a big financial responsibility. But we are a family and will pull together and get through.
“She’s my daughter. I love her and she will want for nothing.”
Last night Michaela Aston, of the anti-abortion Christian charity LIFE, said: “We commend these teenagers for their courage in bringing their child into the world.
“At the same time this is symptomatic of the over-sexualisation of our youngsters and shows the policy of value-free sex education just isn’t working.”
Today Sussex Police and the local council's children services said they have investigated the case and pledged continued support for the young parents.
Britain’s youngest known father is Sean Stewart. He became a dad at 12 when the girl next door, 15-year-old Emma Webster, gave birth in Sharnbrook, Bedford, in 1998. They split six months later.
Latest update: he's taking a DNA test to prove he's the dad. Also, social services are acting on claims that the parents were neglected by their parents.
I honestly feel bad for both sets of parents. I mean, I have to admit; when my mom told me about the birds and the bees when I was nine years old, even I thought it wasn't quite necessary for my age, but shit! Apparently she had the right idea; I don't suspect the boy even knew thats how she could get pregnant. He had just found out what sex was, and was a 12 year old boy (meaning he was masturbating furiously ever chance he got), and then a girl actually gives in to his 12 year old boy desires... the result, she's pregnant, both have fucked, both ARE fucked by deciding to raise a kid with absolutely no idea of the consequences.
The boy seems nice, he really does; it seems like he would have been a lovely guy to go out with, say, when he had gone through FREAKING PUBERTY.
That girl was just dumb though. Freaking 13 year old girls. Every girl should have the sense to stay a virgin. And with a 12 year old? The boy is understandable, I knew tons of 12 year old boys who would have thought with their penis and said yes to an older girl offering it to them; I did not know many girls who got pregnant in middle school, but I assure you, the ones that DID- were probably destined to be losers who got pregnant as soon as they could anyway.
I dunno. Maybe she was just horribly uninformed about getting pregnant. And what sex could lead to. If that's the case, shame on her parents. No girl should be having sex in any circumstance at 13 years old.
Poor dumb kids :P at least when kids did it in Houston they have protection. Usually. We did have a pregnant 8th grader back then. I s'pose it helps that we all got the "Puberty Video" in 3rd grade, the "Sex Talk" in 5th grade, and then the whole 3 weeks of sex ed in 7th grade. By then, we knew what we were getting into.
The parent's fouled up, but not as bad as the kids, even though what's all gone down could be a direct consequence of the parents not giving the kids the sex talk.
What ever happened to good virtue and chastity? It feels all lonely over here on the abstinent side...
Really? Texas supports the abstinence only sex education, and I'm pretty sure Texas has one of the top teen pregnancy rates in the US (seems to be a direct correlation!). I realize my school district was also one of the worst in the US, but I only ever went through like 1 sex ed class and one puberty class, and I honestly didn't learn anything from either. Seriously, if I had only learned what the schools taught me about sex, I would know damn near nothing. Hell, I don't even think I would know how to HAVE sex. All I would honestly know is that, if I had sex, I would come down with like 5 venereal diseases and would regret it for the rest of my life, unless I waited til I was married and it was assured I would only have one sexual partner. They certainly got the message across about STDs-- but, amazingly, I never heard them mention the use of a condom EVER.
I know lots of girls (and I've seen tons more) younger than me or the same age as me with a kid, sometimes more than one, and it just... freaks me out. It makes me wonder if they have any idea how harder they've just made things for themselves, for the rest of their lives? And also, do they realize that their child is actually going to grow up into society, with a teenage role model when they're most impressionable? That's only if they decide to raise the child; if they give the baby up for adoption, they'll always wonder, did my baby live a good life? Did my mistake lead to a good decision? And, if they decide to get an abortion, that mistake ((the whole getting pregnant as a teenager, not necessarily the abortion)) is hung over their head for the rest of their life, haunting them.
Thank God I've never been pregnant. I want kids some day, but bleh. I don't know WHAT I would do if I ended up pregnant now. It would definitely haunt me for the rest of my life, no matter WHAT decision I made. I don't want a kid now, and when asked what I would do I've usually said I'd end up getting an abortion... but I honestly have no idea if I could go through with it. I sincerely hope that whenever (if ever) I wind up pregnant, that it's something I look forward to, not something I regret.
On a slightly more serious note, when I was 17 I had a big talk with my mother about what I'd do if I got pregnant. At the time I said I didn't think I was up to raising a baby, but I wasn't comfortable having an abortion, so I'd probably give the baby up for adoption.
She screamed at me and hit me, swerving the car, angrily insisting that there was no way I'd ever give any of HER grandchildren away.
@FF: ...There's something to be said for holding on too tight. You'll only crush and smother whatever it is your holding. (such as grandchildren?)
Your mother seems like she needs to learn that they are your kids, not hers and that if she wants to keep them she should focus on keeping YOU. There are no shortcuts in the family tree.
[Also my internet cut out while I was typing this. I blame the DSL modem.]
As regards pregnency I'm clearly no expert there, but I would figure nobody is ever really ready to be a parent for the first time. It's good to wait, but if you wait until you are absolutely ready you may never have kids.
By JOHN CHRISTOFFERSEN – 1 hour ago
STAMFORD, Conn. (AP) — Travis the chimpanzee, a veteran of TV commercials, was the constant companion of a lonely Connecticut widow who fed him steak, lobster and ice cream. He could eat at the table, drink wine from a stemmed glass, use the toilet, and dress and bathe himself.
He brushed his teeth with a Water Pik, logged on to a computer to look at photos and channel-surfed television with the remote control.
But on Monday, the wild animal in him came out with a vengeance.
The 200-pound animal viciously mauled a friend of his owner before being shot to death by police.
Investigators are trying to figure out why — whether it was a bout of Lyme disease, a reaction to drugs, or a case of instinct taking over.
"It's hard to say what exactly precipitated this behavior," said Colleen McCann, a primatologist at the Bronx Zoo. "At the end of the day, they are not human and you can't always predict their behavior and how they or any other wild animal will respond when they feel threatened."
Travis attacked 55-year-old Charla Nash as Sandra Herold frantically stabbed her beloved pet with a butcher knife and pounded him with a shovel. Nash was in critical condition Tuesday with "life-changing, if not life-threatening," injuries to her face and hands, Mayor Dannel Malloy said.
Police said they are looking into the possibility of criminal charges. A pet owner can be held criminally responsible if he or she knew or should have known that an animal was a danger to others.
In recordings of calls to 911 dispatchers released Tuesday, Travis' grunts can be heard as a frantic Herold cries that her pet is "eating" Nash and must be killed. The attack lasted about 12 minutes.
"The chimp killed my friend!" says a sobbing Herold, who was hiding in her vehicle. "Send the police with a gun. With a gun!"
The dispatcher later asks, "Who's killing your friend?"
"My chimpanzee!" she cries. "He ripped her apart! Shoot him, shoot him!"
After police arrive, one officer radios back: "There's a man down. He doesn't look good," he says, referring to Nash. "We've got to get this guy out of here. He's got no face."
Police said that Travis was agitated earlier Monday and that Herold had given him the anti-anxiety drug Xanax in some tea. Police said the drug had not been prescribed for the 14-year-old chimp.
In humans, Xanax can cause memory loss, lack of coordination, reduced sex drive and other side effects. It can also lead to aggression in people who were unstable to begin with, said Dr. Emil Coccaro, chief of psychiatry at the University of Chicago Medical Center.
"Xanax could have made him worse," if human studies are any indication, Coccaro said.
Stephen Rene Tello, executive director of Primarily Primates, a sanctuary for chimps in Texas, said it is difficult to say what effect Xanax would have on a chimp, but he noted that chimps and humans have similar physiology.
Investigators said they were also told that Travis had Lyme disease, a tick-borne illness with flu-like symptoms that can lead to arthritis and meningitis in humans.
"Maybe from the medications he was out of sorts," Stamford police Capt. Richard Conklin said.
Herold could not be reached for comment. A woman answering the door at Herold's home, where drops of blood stained the walkway, would not speak to reporters Tuesday. Conklin said Herold was "traumatized by this very, very brutal attack."
Don Mecca, a family friend from Colchester, N.Y., said Herold, whose daughter died several years ago in a car accident, fed the chimp steak, lobster, ice cream and Italian food.
Herold built the chimpanzee a large cage in her home. She knew chimps could be dangerous but found it hard to part with Travis, Mecca said.
McCann of the Bronx Zoo said chimpanzees are unpredictable and dangerous even after living among humans for years.
"I don't know the effects of Lyme disease on chimpanzees, but I will say that it's deceiving to think that if any animal is, quote-unquote, well-behaved around humans that means there is no risk involved to humans for potential outbursts of behavior," she said. "They are unpredictable, and in instances like this you cannot control that behavior or prevent it from happening if it is in a private home."
Connecticut law requires anyone who owns a primate heavier than 50 pounds to obtain a state permit. But Herold was exempted from the law.
"Given that the family in Stamford owned Travis before this law was put on the books, and the fact that over the years the animal did not appear to present a public safety risk, their possession of the chimpanzee was allowed to continue," said Dennis Schain, spokesman for the state Department of Environmental Protection.
When he was younger, Travis starred in TV commercials for Old Navy and Coca-Cola, made an appearance on the "Maury Povich Show" and took part in a television pilot, according to a 2003 story in The Advocate newspaper of Stamford.
"He's been raised almost like a child by this family," Conklin said. "He rides in a car every day. He opens doors. He's a very unique animal in that aspect. We have no indication of what provoked this behavior at all."
Comments
that kid is the funniest thing I've ever seen, swear to god, people are so dumb.
The boy seems nice, he really does; it seems like he would have been a lovely guy to go out with, say, when he had gone through FREAKING PUBERTY.
That girl was just dumb though. Freaking 13 year old girls. Every girl should have the sense to stay a virgin. And with a 12 year old? The boy is understandable, I knew tons of 12 year old boys who would have thought with their penis and said yes to an older girl offering it to them; I did not know many girls who got pregnant in middle school, but I assure you, the ones that DID- were probably destined to be losers who got pregnant as soon as they could anyway.
I dunno. Maybe she was just horribly uninformed about getting pregnant. And what sex could lead to. If that's the case, shame on her parents. No girl should be having sex in any circumstance at 13 years old.
The parent's fouled up, but not as bad as the kids, even though what's all gone down could be a direct consequence of the parents not giving the kids the sex talk.
What ever happened to good virtue and chastity? It feels all lonely over here on the abstinent side...
I know lots of girls (and I've seen tons more) younger than me or the same age as me with a kid, sometimes more than one, and it just... freaks me out. It makes me wonder if they have any idea how harder they've just made things for themselves, for the rest of their lives? And also, do they realize that their child is actually going to grow up into society, with a teenage role model when they're most impressionable? That's only if they decide to raise the child; if they give the baby up for adoption, they'll always wonder, did my baby live a good life? Did my mistake lead to a good decision? And, if they decide to get an abortion, that mistake ((the whole getting pregnant as a teenager, not necessarily the abortion)) is hung over their head for the rest of their life, haunting them.
Thank God I've never been pregnant. I want kids some day, but bleh. I don't know WHAT I would do if I ended up pregnant now. It would definitely haunt me for the rest of my life, no matter WHAT decision I made. I don't want a kid now, and when asked what I would do I've usually said I'd end up getting an abortion... but I honestly have no idea if I could go through with it. I sincerely hope that whenever (if ever) I wind up pregnant, that it's something I look forward to, not something I regret.
On a slightly more serious note, when I was 17 I had a big talk with my mother about what I'd do if I got pregnant. At the time I said I didn't think I was up to raising a baby, but I wasn't comfortable having an abortion, so I'd probably give the baby up for adoption.
She screamed at me and hit me, swerving the car, angrily insisting that there was no way I'd ever give any of HER grandchildren away.
Did I mention I finally disowned her?
And there's no preggo here. Unless maybe FF got pregnant again.
Your mother seems like she needs to learn that they are your kids, not hers and that if she wants to keep them she should focus on keeping YOU. There are no shortcuts in the family tree.
[Also my internet cut out while I was typing this. I blame the DSL modem.]
As regards pregnency I'm clearly no expert there, but I would figure nobody is ever really ready to be a parent for the first time. It's good to wait, but if you wait until you are absolutely ready you may never have kids.
Fuck yeah I did!!!
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jvlkKth37Fp__GL6KYdl2b1s6dBgD96DN0HO0