Botched Planned Parenthood abortion results in death of Tonya Reaves

The death of Tonya Reaves after an abortion is a shocking reminder that abortions carry a real risk and raises questions about Planned Parenthood.

Facebook photo of Tonya Reaves

The 24-year-old black woman died Friday night after having an abortion at Planned Parenthood’s Chicago clinic. Now Reaves’ family is demanding answers and Planned Parenthood ­— already under fire on other fronts — is defending its record.

On Monday, Carole Brite, the CEO and president of Planned Parenthood Illinois, issued the organization’s condolences:

“While legal abortion services in the United States have a very high safety record, a tragedy such as this is devastating to loved ones and we offer our deepest sympathies. Planned Parenthood of Illinois cares deeply about the health and safety of each and every patient,” she said.

Earlier, the dead woman’s twin sister told WBBM-AM her twin was “just fine one day and then the next day she was gone.”

Leading pro-life advocates are calling on Congress to investigate Planned Parenthood following the death as the Susan B. Anthony List renewed the call for a congressional investigation into the abortion provider.

“Congress has an obligation to exercise clear and regular oversight of businesses like Planned Parenthood that receive hundreds of millions of dollars in taxpayer funding and have such dramatic impact on the lives of women and unborn children. This tragic incident reminds us once again that an industry that relies on practitioners like Kermit Gosnell, that has shown willingness to aid alleged human traffickers, and that turns a blind eye to sex-selective abortion must be thoroughly and immediately investigated by Congress,” said Susan B. Anthony List President Marjorie Dannenfelser.

Dannenfelser added, “We must not allow Tonya Reaves to have died in vain, but rather heed this warning and call on Congress to exercise its full capacity to investigate Planned Parenthood. As the nation’s largest abortion provider, in 2010 alone Planned Parenthood ended the lives of 324,008 unborn children and ill-served their mothers.”