A 25-year-old woman bled to death last year after a Planned Parenthood clinic in East Los Angeles neglected to follow established medical procedures during an abortion, according to a report by the state Department of Health Services.
The report also found that the clinic failed to report Diana Lopez's death within 24 hours, as required, and that a doctor working there did not follow clinic policies that would have excluded the woman as a candidate for the procedure.
Lopez, of Huntington Park, was the mother of two small boys, who are now in the care of relatives. Her family has filed a lawsuit in Los Angeles Superior Court against Planned Parenthood and Dr. Mark Maltzer, who performed the abortion. The suit alleges that the clinic on East Kingston Avenue and Maltzer are responsible for the woman's wrongful death.
On Tuesday, the Medical Board of California confirmed that Maltzer is under investigation, but board spokeswoman Candis Cohen declined to say what spurred the probe.
Both the Department of Health Services and Planned Parenthood said that the problems that led to the violations have been fixed.
In a prepared statement Tuesday, Martha Swiller, acting president and chief executive of Planned Parenthood Los Angeles, said the patient had developed unusual bleeding problems but was awake and alert before being taken to the hospital, where she died.
"Everyone at Planned Parenthood Los Angeles feels tremendous sympathy for this woman's family and we share their grief," Swiller said. "While abortion is extremely safe, this is a tragic reminder that, as with all medical procedures, some risk does exist."
Planned Parenthood officials declined to comment further on the circumstances of the case because of a pending lawsuit by Lopez's family.
They confirmed, however, that Maltzer is still performing abortions at some of their 12 clinics in the Los Angeles area. Officials said Maltzer is from Sacramento but travels to Los Angeles to perform abortions -- not an unusual practice because of the limited number of doctors who perform the procedure.
Maltzer was not available for comment Tuesday, a receptionist at his Sacramento office said.
Lopez was about 18 weeks pregnant when the abortion began on the morning of Feb. 28, 2002. Within minutes, her cervix had been punctured during the operation and she began to bleed profusely, according to the state report.
