Are abortionists a protected species?

For years, women complained about their ill treatment at the hands of Sydney abortionist Suman Sood. The allegations included botched and incomplete abortions, failure to warn of abortion risks or to provide counselling or trained staff. The growing number of Sood’s victims described an uncaring doctor who ran a substandard practice with crowded waiting rooms, dirty beds and little or no follow up care. One patient described being repeatedly slapped after the termination.

There were also allegations the former owner of the Australian Women’s Heath Clinic in western Sydney tried to get extra money out of women and defrauded Medicare. But the Health Care Complaints Commission continued to sit on its hands, and Sood continued to perform abortions.

That was until Sood was prosecuted for administering abortion drugs to 20-year-old woman who was about 23 weeks pregnant. She went to her mother’s house, experienced labour pains and delivered a gasping baby boy into a toilet.

Sood was charged with manslaughter and performing an unlawful abortion. She was convicted of the latter. But a doctor who should never have been allowed near a pregnant woman again, was able to continue practicing. Last week, ahead of Medical Board hearings, she handed in her registration.

You would think those who claim to care about women would have demanded Sood be stripped of her licence earlier. You would think they might have seen fit to warn women against consulting such a dangerous person.

After all, the Australian Greens have information on their website which warns women off calling or visiting any of 60-plus pregnancy support agencies they label (pdf 44KB) as “deceptive” and likely to cause them harm.

And Democrat Senator Natasha Stott Despoja has her private members bill designed to expose and fine these groups for “misleading advertising”.

But while the witch-hunt against pregnancy support agencies continues, abortionists who leave women maimed, injured and psychologically traumatised are able to practice business as usual.

To be consistent, the Greens should have had a big warning on their website in flashing lights saying “Stay away from Dr Suman Sood!”

Although Sood has now downed tools, it’s not too late for Kerry Nettle to show she cares adding the names of other abortionists who have left women brain damaged, with lacerated cervixes, infection, suffering cardiac arrest and septic abortion - all actual cases.

Perhaps they could warn women off the Brisbane doctor at the Planned Parenthood clinic who left 16-year-old “Sarah” with a severed fallopian tube, a fist-sized hole in her uterus needing 200 stitches, a torn bowel and bladder and missed baby body parts still inside her?

Doesn’t look likely.