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From: The Pro-Life Infonet <infonet@prolifeinfo.org>
Reply-To: Steven Ertelt <infonet@prolifeinfo.org>
Subject: Women's Heightened Vulnerability During a Crisis Pregnancy
Source: Elliot Institute; September 11, 2002
Who's Making the Choice?
Women's Heightened Vulnerability During a Crisis Pregnancy
by Amy R. Sobie and David C. Reardon
Abortion advocates speak proudly of "freedom to choose," conjuring up images
of women freely and autonomously making decisions that are "right" for
them.
But research into abortion decision making presents a far different picture.
Polls show that most women choosing abortion at least 70 percent say they
believe abortion is immoral.(1) In most cases, women who abort are violating
their consciences because of pressure
from other people or their own circumstances. More than 80 percent of women
who report post-abortion problems say they would have completed their
pregnancies under better circumstances or
with more support from the people they love.(2)
The sad truth is that hundreds of thousands of women undergo unwanted
abortions every year to please someone else or because of pressure or
coercion by their sexual partners, parents,
social workers, counselors, employers or school administrators. In a WEBA
survey of 252 post-abortive women, more than half said they felt "forced"
into the abortion by others.(3) How is such
widespread coercion possible?
CRISIS INDUCED VULNERABILITY
Experts on crisis counseling have found that people are more vulnerable to
outside influences whenever they are faced with a crisis situation. The
more
overwhelming the crisis appears to
be, the less they trust their own opinions and abilities to make the right
decision. As a result, a person in crisis is more likely to feel dependent
on the opinions and direction of others.
People in crisis "are often less in touch with reality and more vulnerable
to
change than they are in non-crisis situations."(4) They often experience
feelings of tiredness, lethargy, hopelessness, inadequacy, confusion,
anxiety
and disorganization. Thus, they are more likely to stand back and let other
people make their decisions for them, instead of protecting themselves from
decisions that may not be in their best interests.
Fundamentally, a person who is upset and trapped in a crisis wants to
reestablish stability in his or her life. This desire to be free of the
crisis leaves the individual more susceptible than normal to any influence
from others who claim to be able to solve the crisis, especially to the
influence of those who appear to have status or authority.(5)
In such periods of heightened psychological accessibility, "a relatively
minor force, acting for a relatively short time, can switch the whole
balance
from one side or to the other to the side of mental health or to the side of
ill health."(6)
An understanding of this basic crisis theory helps to explain why pregnant
women, especially if they are unwed, adolescent, or poor, are so vulnerable
to undergoing abortions in violation of
their own consciences. Women who would normally be very much in control of
their own lives may suddenly feel dependant on the guidance of others when
faced with a crisis pregnancy. In such
cases, even minimal efforts by family members, their male partners, or
medical authorities to encourage abortion may be experienced as the decisive
factor.
What women experience as "pressure" to abort may be very subtle, such as
withholding love or approval from the woman unless she agrees to an
abortion.
Or it may be overt, as in an outright
threat to abandon or expel the woman from her home if she does not abort her
child.
In many cases, the pressure is applied intentionally by others. In other
cases, the "pressure" is not intended, but simply perceived by the woman.
For instance, if her boyfriend exhibits
an unenthusiastic response to the news that she is pregnant, she may see
this
as his way of telling her that he will not help to support her or their
child.
No matter what form the pressure or manipulation of her situation takes, any
attempt to influence a woman toward abortion during this time of crisis when
she is most vulnerable can be
almost impossible to resist. For example, one WEBA member wrote:
"My family would not support my decision to keep my baby. My boyfriend said
he would give me no emotional or financial help whatsoever. All the people
that mattered told me to abort. When I said I didn't want to, they started
listing reasons why I should . . . I started feeling like maybe I was crazy
to want to keep it . . .
"I finally told everyone I would have the abortion just to get them off my
back. But inside I still didn't want to have the abortion. Unfortunately,
when the abortion day came I shut off my feelings. I was scared to not do
it
because of how my family and boyfriend felt. I'm so angry at myself for
giving in to the pressure of others. I just felt so alone in my feelings to
have my baby."(7)
In cases like this, an abortion is likely to be especially traumatic. (In
the above example, the young woman attempted suicide shortly after her
abortion.) In such cases, women are violating their consciences, and often
their strong maternal desires, only because they are in crisis and are
therefore more vulnerable to the influence of those who insist that abortion
is the "best" solution. This is especially true when pregnant women cannot
immediately see where they can find the financial resources and social
support they will need to care for their children.
This conflict between the heart saying, "don't do it," and the mind saying,
"it's the only thing I can do," is at the heart of the deep ambivalence that
is felt by most women having an abortion. Indeed, many women describe going
into the clinic and waiting for someone their boyfriend or husband, a
parent,
even the counselor to burst into the room and stop the abortion from
happening. When no one attempts to prevent the abortion, this reaffirms in
women's minds that abortion is the only choice that
their loved ones will support. One woman described her feelings of
powerlessness this way:
"I didn't want to kill my child; I just made the decision to be weak and not
care about any of it. I made a decision not to make a conscious choice at
all. In fact, Planned Parenthood and all the abortion mills tell you that
you have NO CHOICE but to get an abortion. This is the irony of the
'pro-choice' rhetoric.
"(8)
CONCLUSION
There is no disputing the fact that many, perhaps most, women who have
abortions feel pressured into choosing abortion against their conscience.
In
many cases it is clear that coercion by
others is deliberate and blatant. In other cases, the pressure to abort is
more subtle, or even unintended.
This is why it is vitally important to develop safeguards that will, at the
very least, protect women from unwanted abortions. Unfortunately, abortion
clinics generally make no attempt help women resist the pressures they face
to undergo an unwanted abortion.
Indeed, more than 80 percent of women with post-abortion problems report
that
their abortion clinic counselors showed no interest in helping them explore
other options, and two-thirds of the women said the counselors were strongly
biased toward encouraging abortion.9
Simply put, abortion counseling is usually designed to "sell" a woman an
abortion, not to help her escape the pressure of others who may be pushing
her into an unwanted abortion. In essence,
rather than taking the side of the woman, abortion counselors often take the
side of those pushing for the abortion.
The only solution to this problem is to hold abortion clinics more fully
liable for protecting women from coerced abortions. Proper screening for the
known risk factors that predict post- abortion psychological problems would
necessarily include screening for any evidence that the woman feels
pressured
or manipulated by others to consent to the abortion. In this case, the
clinic should be held liable for failing to refer the woman to resources
that
can help her resolve her situation without
undergoing an unwanted abortion.
In cases where the abortion clinic knew or should have known through proper
screening that a woman was being pressured into an unwanted abortion, the
abortionist should be held liable not only for her psychological pain and
suffering, but also for the wrongful death of her child. Such liability is
the only way to ensure that abortion clinics are properly motivated to
screen
for coercion and to act in the best interests of these women.
NOTES
1. Los Angeles Times Poll, March 19, 1989. See also Zimmerman Mary K.,
Passage Through Abortion (New York: Praeger Publishers, 1977) and Reardon,
David C., Aborted Women: Silent No More (Chicago: Loyola University Press,
1987).
2. Reardon, Aborted Women, 12.
3. Reardon, 10-11.
4. Stone, Howard W., Crisis Counseling (Fortress Press, 1976).
5. Morely, Wilbur E., "Theory of Crisis Intervention," Pastoral
Psychology,
Vol. 21, No. 203, April 1970, p. 16.
6. Caplan, Gerald, Principals of Preventive Psychiatry (New York: Basic
Books, 1964).
7. Reardon, 31.
8. Reardon, 143.
9. Reardon, 16.
Originally printed in The Post-Abortion Review, Vol. 8(1), Jan.-March 2000. |
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`6/27/2002
THE MURDER OF BABIES BORN & UNBORN - my testimony
I am by profession a hospital paramedic turned emergency room nurse. About
20 years ago, when I first began working in emergency health care, I was
stunned at how many of my coworkers were alcoholics. I soon learned why.
Few lay people outside of health care can understand the untold lifetimes of
memories - both of nightmares and of miracles - that health care workers
carry with them. I will share one of those nightmares that haunts me still
with you.
I once had a paramedic backup request from a basic ambulance unit for a
"woman bleeding vaginally." I recall it was a dirty, run down walk up in a
dirty, run down city.
The cops and EMTs were already there. My partner and I entered the run down
apartment to find a young female sitting on a mobile "stair chair." The
cops and EMT guys were a bit worried for the girl, who was maybe 15 tops.
Our men were just about to start the carry down to the ambulance, never an
easy task in these older dwellings.
The patient looked just fine. Her vitals from the EMTs were ok. The guys
were concerned because they found a lot of blood around the apartment. She
was fully clothed. The girl made it clear that she was not interested in
having a pre-hospital ob/gyn exam done by a bunch of male ambulance techs,
and we were not interested in forcing ourselves upon her.
Since this was not a life-threatening emergency, had we done so against her
will, we would have been guilty of assault & battery, and worse... She said
nothing to us about why she was bleeding vaginally - at least nothing about
what we were soon to discover...
I was just on the verge of telling the guys to ship he off to the city
hospital emergency room without our help, as she didn't need medic care.
Suddenly, one of the cops motioned to me to come over to the bathroom. I
went in and he pointed to a dirty bathtub. In the tub was a newborn dead
baby, with the umbilical cord wrapped around its neck and body, in a clear
plastic bag, covered with blood. The cop and I looked at each other without
speaking.
So now we knew the cause of the young girl's vaginal bleeding. She had
recently given birth, but had not told any of our men when they asked her
what was up. The baby was stone dead and long past working the child up as a
code.
As we in health care appreciate all to well, it is easy to instantly see if
someone is "stone cold" dead. The blood pools according to gravity to create
dependant lividity. The skin is room temperature to the touch. The muscles
tighten in the "death grip" of rigor mortis, leaving the body "stiff as a
board." Such was the case here. This was a crime scene for the Medical
Examiner's eyes, so we pleased to be spared the added misery of having to
call the ER doctor for a pronouncement.
All I remember next - and this was maybe 17 years ago - was I walked back
out to the room where the patient was. I just stared at her and our eyes met
- not in judgment or harshness, but just in shocked, dumbfounded disbelief.
I said nothing and neither did she.
Women bleed vaginally when giving birth - as is well known - no biggie for
EMS or ER purposes unless the blood loss is life-threatening. We were not
needed here. I dispatched the girl off to the city hospital E.R. with a nod
to our men. For our maybe 2 or 3 minutes of time, my job on this case was
happily done - except for the paper work, of course... We were thankful for
not having to hang around on this one!
From what I remember we found out, it was a normal birth long before any of
us got to the scene. The young teenage mother-never-to-be just didn't want
the baby, so she murdered the child by suffocation with the plastic bag.
One by one, our men went in and then quickly out of the bathroom to see the
newborn dead baby, with the umbilical cord wrapped around its poor little
body, covered in blood, in a clear plastic bag, sitting on the bottom of a
filthy tub.
I often relive this particular nightmare memory as if it was just now
happening, and I am standing in that filthy bathroom reaching down to that
poor dead baby. It sometimes plays in my mind over and over in nearly frozen
slow motion - a living hell nightmare that I can't shake out of.
Strange, but throughout nursing school, we never really learned much about
abortion. My first full-time job as an emergency room nurse was at a large
urban teaching Catholic hospital. It was there I first really learned about
the gruesome medical and nursing details and facts of how different abortion
procedures "terminate" unborn babies; how there is no such thing as a "safe
and painless" abortion; what horrid risks and after effects women suffer
because of abortion. This was vital knowledge for us, as many post-abortion
women in distress sought our help in this poor community under the Cross of
Christ on top of our hospital.
I am happily no expert, but here is a very brief medical/nursing
background on abortion. This is not the place to get into the unpleasant
details on the subject:
Abortion techniques include the RU-486 pill; Suction Aspiration;
Dilation & Curettage (D&C); Dilation & Evacuation (D&E); Prostaglandin
Amniotic Injection; Saline Amniotic Injection; Urea Amniotic Injection;
Intracardiac Fetal Poison Injection; Dilation & Extraction (D&X) - aka
"Partial Birth Abortion"; Induced Labour Abortion - aka "Live Birth
Abortion." Different techniques are often combined in mid and late term
abortions. (1,2,3,4)
Immediate medical/nursing complications include retained "Products of
Conception" (POC's); life threatening bleeding; pain; infections; uterus,
bowel and bladder puncture; cervix lacerations; occasional death; the
aborted baby being born alive. Future medical/nursing complications include
higher rates of breast cancer; ectopic pregnancies; placenta presentation
births; miscarriages; sterility; infant cerebral palsy. Future
psychological/social complications include increased depression; suicide;
drug abuse; alcohol abuse (Post Abortion Syndrome). (4,5,6,7)
National stats on abortion complications in America are thought to be highly
under-reported due to limited regulation of the abortion industry and lack
of uniform medical/nursing standards of data collection and reporting to
government authorities. (7)
Many post-abortion women came to us in terrible suffering, pain and
fear. I remember uncontrolled vaginal bleeds, "retained" fetal tissues,
septic infections, uterine surgical emergencies, tears, sorrow and regret of
many such young women, most just single teenagers. And of course, there
were the social, mental and spiritual injuries post abortion - not to
mention the known long term complications of body, mind and soul - that
these young women were to suffer long after my brief care of them in the ER.
I have recently read of the horrors of "born alive" abortion babies,
where women have abortions, but the "complication" of the baby being
delivered alive arises, and how such babies are left to die. When I read of
testimony of one nurse of those monstrous scandals of one particular
American hospital that bears the name "Christ Hospital" (taken over by a
secular, big chain health care system), I remembered that case of the dead
newborn baby in the bathtub so many years ago. "Born alive" abortion babies
aren't suffocated with plastic bags, but rather are just left without
nourishment, warmth or care to expire of "natural causes" to complete such
botched abortions. (3)
I fondly remember being present with my wife when my daughter was born some
years ago. I often relive the great joy and happiness I felt when I saw our
baby being born. I remember when my wife was first pregnant, we were a
scared young couple on our own. We considered an abortion. We even made an
appointment and walked around the block past the clinic. I never stop
thanking Heaven above that we never went in to that abortion clinic for that
appointment.
My teenage daughter is now the age of that young girl of the murdered
newborn so many years ago. I have little fear that my daughter would ever do
such a thing, as we have taught her that all human life is a precious
miracle gift of Creation, that abstinence until marriage, and then marriage
between one man and one woman - based on love and Faith - is the best
course. But there are many young people in America today that do not know
GOD�s Ways about such matters and suffer so as a result.
Sometimes, I remember that dead little baby in the bathtub many years ago
and cry in my soul for the child. I sometimes light a candle for that
murdered newborn baby. Once in a while, if I have a few beers, and I
remember that dead little newborn baby, I shed a tear.
When I think of the 40 million plus abortions done in America, I also cry in
my soul. (8) For comparison, Hitler murdered 13 million civilians; Mao 20
million; Stalin 20 million. (9) Sometimes I light a candle for all those
murdered unborn babies, victims of the American holocaust genocide of
abortion. Once in a while, if I have a few beers, and I think of all the
terrible documented suffering of aborted babies - and of their mothers and
fathers never-to-be, I shed a tear.
I have studied pictures of aborted babies on the internet. (10) I am
haunted by what I not infrequently have collected from ob/gyn patients in
distress - both post abortion and also from miscarriages - as an E.R.
nurse, "Products of Conception." I recall various "POC�s" that testified to
my own eyes the obvious truth, "This was a little human being." After
having studied about the various different abortion procedures, I was left
stunned as to the barbarity of it all. I have even read of the selling of
aborted baby body parts, tissues, organs and cadavers and am left in shocked
disbelief that our nation has stooped to such coldness beyond description.
(11)
The murder of babies - born and unborn - is the surest sign of a nation's
depravity, wickedness and loss of humanity. Those of us in urban emergency
health care know best of this directly. Isaiah 5:20 warns, "Woe unto them
that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light
for darkness." Mathew 18:10 warns, "Take heed that ye despise not one of
these little ones; for I say unto you, That in Heaven their angels do always
behold the face of my Father which is in Heaven." (12) For the blood of all
such innocents so murdered, does not Heaven shed a tear?
Thomas Jefferson said, "GOD who gave us life gave us liberty. And can the
liberties of a nation be thought secure when we have removed their only firm
basis, a convictions in the minds of the people that these liberties are of
the Gift of GOD? That they can not be violated but with HIS Wrath? Indeed
I tremble for my country when I reflect that GOD is just; that HIS justice
cannot sleep forever." (13)
Understanding the connections between abortion and the devaluation of human
life, and their negative medical, nursing, psychological and social impacts
on women, babies and society is vital to help stop the murder of babies in
America, both born and unborn.
The spiritual costs of abortion upon our land and people can not be
calculated in human words. I pray, "May GOD have mercy upon us for such
evils, in JESUS� Name, Amen."
Respectfully Yours,
Robert B. Baral
References:
1. "Abortion Methods." www.lovematters.com/methods.htm.
2. "How Are Abortions Done?" Heritage House '76, Inc. 1998. Snowflake,
AZ. 1-(800)-858-3040. www.heritagehouse76.com.
3. "Hearing on HR 4292, the Born Alive Infant Protection Act of 2000." US
House Committee of the Judiciary. July 20, 2000. www.house.gov/judiciary/stan0720.htm.
4. "Facts About Abortion." CareNet. 2001. Sterling, VA.
1-(703)-478-5661.
5. ""You're Getting an Abortion - What Can Happen to You?" Heritage House
'76, Inc. Snowflake, AZ. 1-(800)-858-3040. www.abortionfacts.com.
6. "Abortion Risks Higher Than Expected - Breast Cancer, Infertility,
Suicide Rates Higher, Yet Under-Reported." De Veber Institute for Bioethics
and Social Research. April 22, 2002 Press Release. ww.deveber.org/press-release-eng2.html.
7. "Abortion's Physical and Emotional Risks." Concerned Women of America.
www.cwfa.org/library/2000-02_pp_a-risks.shtml.
8. "Abortion Statistics by US State, Race, Age and Worldwide Statistics."
Abortion TV. www.abortiontv.com/AbortionStatistics.htm.
9. "Lethal Laws! Government Genocide Campaigns..." Jews for the
Preservation of Firearms Ownership. Hartford, WI. 1-(262)-673-9746.
www.jpfo.org/L-laws.htm.
10. "Abortion Pictures." Abortion TV. www.abortiontv.com/AbortionPictures1.htm
11. Partial Birth Abortion - A Way to Obtain Intact Body Parts To Sell."
Concerned Women for America. 10/20/1999. www.cwfa.org/library/life/1999-10-20_pr_pba.shtml.
12. "The Holy Bible - Authorized King James Version, The Scofield Study
Bible." Oxford University Press, NY. 1945.
13. "America's GOD and Country Encyclopedia of Quotations." William J.
Federer. Fame Publishing, Coppell, TX. 1994. 1-(800)-404-FAME.
III. Why I wrote this
In the hopes that I maybe could then sleep a little better.
Margaret: A trip to
Kansas and the worst mistake, By Steve Painter The Wichita Eagle
The darkest days of Margaret's life began in June 1998.
Margaret, a 30-year-old New York City woman who asked that her real name not
be used, was beginning the sixth month of her first pregnancy.
Margaret's doctor told her and her husband that their unborn daughter would
have cystic fibrosis. The doctor said the fetus' bowels most likely were
clogged. Although the doctor never said it in so many words, they believed
she was telling them their daughter would die shortly after birth.
"She kind of talked around things," Margaret said. "Basically we were given
the worst-case scenario."
Cystic fibrosis is a genetic disease that causes the body to produce a
thick, sticky mucus within its organs. The mucus can obstruct the pancreas,
preventing the intestines from breaking down food.
The doctor sent them to a geneticist, who confirmed the diagnosis. The
geneticist told them about the Wichita clinic operated by George Tiller, one
of the few doctors in the nation to perform late-term abortions.
"I didn't even know that place existed out there. I didn't know you could
have an abortion that far along in this country," she said.
Margaret, a practicing Catholic, wanted to have the baby. Her husband, a
nonpracticing Protestant, did not.
"He said, 'No way, we're not having a sick kid,' " Margaret said. "He was
kind of acting like our baby wasn't a baby anymore."
Within days they were on their way to Wichita. Margaret felt like everyone,
including the man she loved, was telling her she was wrong. She described
the next week as her own personal hell.
Margaret and her husband came to Wichita at a time of political and legal
uncertainty over late-term abortions in Kansas. The Legislature had just
passed a law banning late-term abortions in cases of severe fetal
abnormalities, but the law had not yet taken effect. The new law did allow
late-term abortions to preserve the mother's mental or physical health.
On a Monday, during their first visit to the clinic, Margaret said her
unborn daughter was given a "fetal euthanasia" shot to end its life. She
said rods, made from a type of seaweed, were inserted to dilate her cervix.
The rods slowly absorb moisture and expand, dilating the cervix over several
days.
Margaret and her husband made daily visits to the clinic. Otherwise, they
mostly stayed in their motel room, watching television. Margaret was in a
lot of pain, physically and mentally.
On Thursday, they picked out a headstone. The fetus they regarded as their
daughter would be buried in Kansas, though Margaret wanted to take her back
to New York.
On Friday, they went to the clinic to complete the procedure. As they pulled
into the parking lot, one of the ever-present abortion protesters ran up to
the car with a rose in her hand. "She said, 'There's nothing wrong with your
baby,' " Margaret recalled.
Margaret reached for the door handle. She wanted to get out of the car and
go toward the anti-abortion sidewalk counselors. Her husband grabbed her
hand and drove on past the line.
What followed, she said, was a long and painful procedure that she believed
was a partial-birth abortion, although she can't say for sure. She felt she
was verbally and physically abused by the clinic staff. But mostly, she
said, she felt as if she were murdering her child.
Dena Vogler, the clinic administrator, said she couldn't comment on any
individual clients' experiences.
Margaret said Tiller brought their daughter's body to them after the
procedure. Her arms and legs were intact. She had a gash on her hand and a
mark on her forehead. The umbilical cord was torn. When they got back to New
York, Margaret and her husband almost divorced. They went through
counseling. They attended a retreat, which she described as a "day of prayer
and healing," through a program run by her church.
And on Jan. 21, Margaret gave birth to a daughter. During this pregnancy,
she refused to allow genetic testing. Recent tests confirmed that the baby
also has cystic fibrosis.
Margaret suspected that was the case even before the tests. Her daughter's
skin had an excessively salty taste, one of the signs of cystic fibrosis.
She said she didn't care what the test results showed.
"I think raising a baby with CF is easy compared to that hellish week we
spent out there," she said.
Abortion is not a cure for anything, Margaret said. "It adds to your
problems. You don't get the baby out of the way. The baby haunts you for the
rest of your life."
California: Legal
Abortion Death Continues to Make Headlines
Source: Sacramento Bee
Sacramento -- She was a young mother, single and carrying a second child,
struggling to survive on minimum wages and welfare.
He was a prominent person who had built a career out of performing abortions
on women.
During an abortion at a Riverside abortion, their fates collided. Within
hours Sharon Hamptlon was dead. Now Bruce Steir is fighting to stay out of
prison.
At the center of the case is Steir who performed about 1,000 abortions each
year, mostly at clinics in Sacramento, Chico, Santa Rosa, Redding and
Oakland.
The Barstow woman, a Medi-Cal patient who
worked at Burger King and was raising a young son by herself, bled to death
of a perforated uterus in the back of her mother's car on the drive home
from the abortion where Steir ended her pregnancy. She was 27.
A couple of hours after Hamptlon's abortion, as the abortion facility was
closing, workers wheeled her to her mother's car. Doris Hamptlon said her
daughter appeared groggy. When her son Curtis, then 3, asked her if she was
OK, she responded in barely a whisper.
"She just told him she loved him, and then she got very quiet," Doris
Hamptlon recalled in an interview in her Barstow home. "It was dark by
then. I thought she was sleeping. But when I got her home, I couldn't wake
her up."
Paramedics arrived within minutes, but they were unable to revive her. Now
Doris and Benny Hamptlon, who have two other children, are raising their
rambunctious grandson.
The Wall Street
Journal Interactive Edition, July 31, 1996
A week before Christmas
1995, Carolina Gutierrez had an abortion at the Maber Medical Center, a
storefront women's clinic in Miami's Little Havana. She returned home
staggering, in severe pain. A few hours later, when she telephoned the
clinic seeking help, staff members hung up on her. Later more frantic phone
calls reached only an answering machine. No one called her back, and the
clinic has since closed its doors. Two days later, Gutierrez was rushed by
ambulance to Jackson Memorial Hospital. According to the Miami Herald, she
was suffering septic shock. Her uterus was perforated in two places; a blood
infection was spreading rapidly throughout her body. Gutierrez died on Feb.
5. She was just 21 years old.
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