Abortionist literally chokes on her own words regarding abortion being necessary for health reasons

Recent claims from politicians like Ted Cruz and humanitarians like Lila Rose call into question the concept of abortion being used as a form of treatment for illness or disease. Abortion supporters claim the majority of abortions, and all late-term abortions, are given only out of the need to treat a woman for physical or psychological issues. But new deposition testimony from one of the nation's top late-term abortion providers shows the diagnosis of necessity is pure speculation if not intentional misdiagnosis for the purpose of selling more abortions.

Dr. Shannon Carr literally chokes on her own words in a 2019 deposition regarding the wrongful death of her patient, Keisha Atkins, who Carr claims needed a 24-week abortion. Dr. Carr, the subject of the Atlantic's documentary "The Traveling Abortion Doctor," typed the below medical document, full of typos and inaccuracies, stating Keisha needed an abortion or suffer "substantial and irreversible harm to her physical health, her mental health, her family health, her safety and well being."

Attorneys questioned Dr. Carr on her multiple diagnoses, only for her to resort to mere speculation on every single listed reason for why Keisha's abortion was a necessity.

The document she wrote claims she spent just twenty minutes speaking to Keisha before making this assessment.

Dr. Carr didn't look into Keisha's medical history or look at any of her medical records.

She admits to doing no mental health assessments and stated, "I'm not a psychiatrist," when responding to questions on her diagnosis of mental health necessity.

She didn't use the DSM or any other criteria for assessing Keisha's mental health.

She didn't speak to any of Keisha's family to determine if they were healthy or safe.

She didn't look into any domestic violence or any other safety concerns.

And she based Keisha's well-being solely on Keisha's spur-of-the-moment opinion.

Dr. Carr simply chatted with a woman she just met for 20 minutes and from that determined that woman needed a 24-week induction abortion within 24 hours. That is not in any way an adequate assessment of a patient's physical or mental health. In any other medical environment providing significant and life-altering medical procedures, a 20-minute chat would never suffice as a way to diagnosis a patient and give that patient a life-altering treatment plan based simply on their request.

Executive Director of Abortion On Trial, Jamie Jeffries, says, "If I went to a doctor I had never met before and claimed my arm was causing irreversible harm to my mental and family health, and I asked doctors to amputate it, they wouldn't just oblige my request. They would probably admit me for my obvious need for legitimate mental healthcare. Abortion is the only major medical procedure you can access in the middle of a mental breakdown or even a full-on psychotic episode, and the doctor will just give you what you ask for because you want it."

According to multiple patient charts, Dr. Carr and her co-workers regularly claim mental health concerns as the reason for necessity in the abortions they're providing, despite their inability to assess or diagnose any mental health issues. And according to Carr herself, she does not perform any follow-up to determine if the patient's mental or emotional health and safety have improved or deteriorated after providing them with their requested late-term abortion. One former patient of this clinic, who is suing for her own injuries, is quoted saying that despite her abortion being given under the premise of a mental health necessity, the abortion is what has "left a profound negative impact" on her mental and emotional health.

In any other circumstance, when a pregnant woman goes to a doctor and says they have feelings of depression and anxiety, that doctor gives them treatment and care for their depression and anxiety. In any other circumstance, when someone claims they need to end a life to ease their symptoms of emotional distress, people stop them. We don't hand the distressed person a knife or tell them to jump from a bridge. We treat their mental health concerns in a way that doesn't include life-ending measures. Abortion is the only "medical service" that treats mental health concerns with life-ending acts based solely on the patient's request.

Despite the claim that abortions are being performed to spare women from physical and emotional health issues, it is clear that these providers are using the cover of "medical necessity" to provide purely elective, Medicaid-covered, late-term abortions to anyone who wants one.