Abortion Practitioner Indicted for Killing Woman in Botched Legal Abortion

Hyannis, MA -- Dr. Rapin Osathanondh was indicted on a charge of manslaughter in the death of 22-year-old Laura Hope Smith, who was declared dead September 13, 2007 at Cape Cod Hospital in Hyannis after going into cardio-respiratory arrest during a legal abortion procedure performed at Osathanondh's office, which he called Women’s Health Center, in Hyannis. Osathanondh has already surrendered his license to practice medicine in order to halt -- and prevent public disclosure about -- a medical board investigation into Laura's death. Osathanondh had Laura under general anesthesia for her abortion, but was assisted only by a medically-untrained receptionist. He had no equipment in the procedure room for monitoring patients, and neither he nor any of his staff were trained in CPR.

Laura's mother, Eileen Smith, told Operation Rescue West that a Sheriff's Deputy from another county provided Osathanondh and his staff with CPR training after Laura's death, then backdated the session to a date prior to Laura's death, with the full knowledge that someone had recently died at the facility.