Australia Abortion Practitioner Has Infected 40 Women With Hepatitis C Virus

Australia Abortion Practitioner Has Infected 40 Women With Hepatitis C Virus
by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
May 31, 2010



Melbourne, Australia (LifeNews.com) -- An Australia abortion facility worker is facing more accusations that he infected dozens of women with hepatitis C during abortions. The heath chief of the Australian state of Victoria released the accusations against the abortion practitioner in April.

Since then, the number of potential victims has jumped form 12 to 44 as the outbreak at the Croydon Day Surgery abortion business appears worse than earlier reports as the probe continues.

The Herald Sun newspaper indicates the health department investigation into the abortion operation where James Latham Peters was the anesthesiologist will expand -- potentially to as many as 3,600 women who had abortions at his center since 2006.

The newspaper indicates the Victorian Police and the Medical Practitioners Board of Victoria has revealed the patients' infections are an identical genetic match to his own hepatitis C strain in 22 of the confirmed 44 cases.

"It is difficult to know exactly what went on in that clinic, but we are diligently providing full support to Victoria Police, to the Medical Practitioners Board, but most importantly to those women," Health Minister Daniel Andrews said, according to the Herald. "This is not about system failure, this is about the appalling, totally inappropriate behavior of one particular person."

Chief health officer John Carnie indicated investigations showed the women were deliberately infected and that a probe into the abortion center may reveal more, but it will takes weeks to contact them.

Peters could face criminal charges for infecting the women.

The Medical Board of Victoria has investigated the allegations and suspended Peters on February 15 two months after the health department became aware of the allegations when three women contacted the agency after infection.

The newspaper indicates Peters has past drug convictions and was sentenced this year for having pornographic pictures of children. In 1996, he was convicted of forging more than 100 prescriptions for pethidine.

The Age newspaper reported that the Croydon Day Surgery abortion business knew of the convictions but hired Peters anyway.

http://www.lifenews.com/int1560.html