Harvey Karman - Revision history

Bytemsbu at 15:27, July 1, 2022

2022-07-01T15:27:32Z

DavidB4-bot: /* "Super coils" */clean up & uniformity

2016-07-12T05:03:59Z

"Super coils": clean up & uniformity

CDunigan: /* See also */

2010-10-19T00:49:20Z

CDunigan: Base article taken from the one I wrote for Wikipedia. FIgured I might as well transfer my abortion-related efforts.

2010-10-17T04:04:36Z

Base article taken from the one I wrote for Wikipedia. FIgured I might as well transfer my abortion-related efforts.

New page

'''Harvey Karman''' (April 26, 1924 - May 6, 2008) was the inventor of the [[Karman cannula]], a flexible suction [[cannula]] used for early [[abortion]].<ref>Potts M, Diggory P, Peel J. ''Abortion''. Cambridge (UK): Cambridge University. 1977</ref> Karman trained members of the [[Jane Collective]] in [[Chicago]] in the use of the Karman cannula.<ref>Laura Kaplan, ''The Story of Jane'', University of Chicago Press, 1997</ref>

==Qualifications==
Karman presented himself as "Dr. Harvey Karman," though he was not a [[physician]], and his [[PhD]] was in psychology.<ref name="nathonson">Bernard N. Nathanson, ''Aborting America'', Life Cycle Books, 1979</ref>

==Fatal abortion==
In 1955, Karman performed a fatal abortion on a woman in a [[California]] [[motel]] room.<ref>District Court of Appeal, Second District Division 3, California. ''The People of the State of California, Plaintiff and Respondent,v. Harvey Leroy Karman, Defendant and Appellant.''Cr. 5583. November 13, 1956</ref> He served a prison sentence. Then-[[governor]] [[Jerry Brown]] pardoned Karman upon taking office.<ref name="nathonson"/>

=="Super coils"==
Karman also developed the "super coil" abortion technique, which he believed would enable lay practitioners to perform second-[[Pregnancy|trimester]] abortions with little training or equipment. The coils were inserted into the [[uterus]], where they caused irritation leading to the expulsion of the [[fetus]]. However, both of Karman's documented trials with super coils were failures.

The first trial took place in [[Bangladesh]]. Karman had been invited there by the government of Bangladesh and by the [[International Planned Parenthood Federation]], to perform abortions on women who had been raped by soldiers. Karman augmented his super coils with pieces of [[balsa]] wood. The women suffered a high rate of complications, leading health officials to investigate.<ref>Judith P. Bourne, R.M., et al., "Medical Complications from Induced Abortion by the Super Coil Method," ''Health Services Report'' v. 89, n. 1, January-February 1974</ref>

The second trial took place in [[Philadelphia]], [[Pennsylvania]] on May 8, 1972. The [[Jane Collective]] in [[Chicago]] had been raided, and the members who performed abortions jailed. The remaining members arranged to take a [[bus]] load of women to [[Philadelphia]], for abortions to be performed by Karman and an assistant. The abortions were performed at an [[abortion clinic]] that was openly operating, in violation of Pennsylvania law. A local woman's group, outraged that the women were being subjected to an untested and possibly unsafe abortion method, protested outside the clinic, letting the air out of the bus tires. A public television crew from a station in [[New York]] filmed the procedures at Karman's invitation.

Keeping inadequate records, working well into the night, the abortion team managed to pack the 15 patients selected for "super coil" abortions by the early morning hours. One woman ended up hospitalized in [[Pennsylvania]] due to [[laceration]]s. This prompted local health officials to contact the [[Centers for Disease Control]], which investigated and found that two of the patients had been lost to follow-up, one required a [[hysterectomy]], one was hospitalized for twenty days with [[infection]], and one continued to bleed until she became anemic. In total, nine of the 13 patients who could be tracked down had suffered complications. The CDC suggested that,
<blockquote>
"Until the super-coil abortion technique is demonstrated to be safe in the hands of competent medical personnel and in a controlled research setting, the CDC findings suggest that it is not appropriate for use by paramedical personnel."<ref>Centers for Disease Control Abortion Surveillance 1972</ref> </blockquote>

==References==
<references/>

==See also==
*[[Abortion]]
[[Category:Abortion]]
[[Category:Abortionists]]

@@ Line 5: / Line 5: @@
 ==Fatal abortion==
-In 1955, Karman performed a fatal abortion on a woman in a [[California]] [[motel]] room.<ref>District Court of Appeal, Second District Division 3, California. ''The People of the State of California, Plaintiff and Respondent,v. Harvey Leroy Karman, Defendant and Appellant.''Cr. 5583. November 13, 1956</ref> He served a prison sentence. Then-[[governor]] [[Jerry Brown]] pardoned Karman upon taking office.<ref name="nathonson"/>
+In 1955, Karman performed a fatal abortion on a woman in a [[California]] [[motel]] room.<ref>District Court of Appeal, Second District Division 3, California. ''The People of the State of California, Plaintiff and Respondent,v. Harvey Leroy Karman, Defendant and Appellant.''Cr. 5583. November 13, 1956</ref> He served a prison sentence, before being pardoned by then [[governor]] [[Jerry Brown]].<ref name="nathonson"/>
 =="Super coils"==

@@ Line 10: / Line 10: @@
 Karman also developed the "super coil" abortion technique, which he believed would enable lay practitioners to perform second-[[Pregnancy|trimester]] abortions with little training or equipment. The coils were inserted into the [[uterus]], where they caused irritation leading to the expulsion of the [[fetus]]. However, both of Karman's documented trials with super coils were failures.
-The first trial took place in [[Bangladesh]]. Karman had been invited there by the government of Bangladesh and by the [[International Planned Parenthood Federation]], to perform abortions on women who had been raped by soldiers. Karman augmented his super coils with pieces of [[balsa]] wood. The women suffered a high rate of complications, leading health officials to investigate.<ref>Judith P. Bourne, R.M., et al., "Medical Complications from Induced Abortion by the Super Coil Method," ''Health Services Report'' v. 89, n. 1, January-February 1974</ref>
+The first trial took place in [[Bangladesh]]. Karman had been invited there by the government of Bangladesh and by the [[International Planned Parenthood Federation]], to perform abortions on women who had been raped by soldiers. Karman augmented his super coils with pieces of [[balsa]] wood. The women suffered a high rate of complications, leading health officials to investigate.<ref>Judith P. Bourne, R.M., et al., "Medical Complications from Induced Abortion by the Super Coil Method," ''Health Services Report'' v. 89, n. 1, January–February 1974</ref>
 The second trial took place in [[Philadelphia]], [[Pennsylvania]] on May 8, 1972. The [[Jane Collective]] in [[Chicago]] had been raided, and the members who performed abortions jailed. The remaining members arranged to take a [[bus]] load of women to [[Philadelphia]], for abortions to be performed by Karman and an assistant. The abortions were performed at an [[abortion clinic]] that was openly operating, in violation of Pennsylvania law. A local woman's group, outraged that the women were being subjected to an untested and possibly unsafe abortion method, protested outside the clinic, letting the air out of the bus tires. A public television crew from a station in [[New York]] filmed the procedures at Karman's invitation.

@@ Line 23: / Line 23: @@
 ==See also==
 *[[Abortion]]
 [[Category:Abortion]]
 [[Category:Abortionists]]