For Immediate Release

Michigan Abortionist Accused of
Performing Forced Abortion on 18-Year-Old

Springfield, IL (December 10, 2009) -- An abortionist in Michigan is facing civil and possibly criminal charges after he allegedly had a staffer hold a teen down and performed an abortion on her against her will.

Caitlin Bruce says that A. Alberto Hodari, owner of the WomanCare abortion business in Detroit, ignored her statements that she had changed her mind about the abortion and that Hodari had a staff member hold her down while he forcibly carried out the abortion. Bruce said that she screamed, "Stop; stop, I don't want to do this," but that the staff member covered her mouth as the abortion took place.

The abortion took place in April 2008, but criminal charges were never filed because Bruce didn't know the law, her attorney says. Two pro-life groups are now asking for criminal charges to be filed against Hodari and Bruce has filed a civil complaint against him.

According to one of the groups, Operation Rescue, Hodari was involved in at least one other forced abortion. Jennifer McCoy, founder of VoicesForWomen.org, told Operation Rescue that she was taken by her mother to one of Hodari's abortion businesses after becoming pregnant at age 16 by a much older teacher. Not only did the clinic fail to report the statutory rape, McCoy says, but Hodari performed an abortion without her knowledge or consent after she was told she needed an exam.

McCoy said she told Hodari she was only there for an exam and that he told her, "If you change your mind, then we can do whatever else you decide to do." He then performed an abortion on her and later said her mother had signed the consent forms, a claim McCoy says she doubts. An attempt on her part to take Hodari to court was dismissed since she was a minor.

"If he can do this to me, he can do this to others," she said in an interview with Operation Rescue.

Hodari has a troubled history involving the deaths of women from botched abortions at clinics owned by him and is on probation for dumping fetal remains, bio-hazard waste and patients' medical records in the dumpsters behind his clinics. VoicesforWomen.org documents numerous lawsuits filed against him.

One death involved a 15-year-old girl who was taken to the clinic by her 26-year-old boyfriend and Hodari was fined $10,000 in June for the death of a woman after an abortion performed by one of his employees. Hodari has also faced criticism for telling medical students during a speech that he seldom washed his hands while performing abortions and he believes abortionists "have a license to lie" to women. The Michigan Attorney General's Office says Bruce's case is under review.

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