By Cheryl Sullenger
Bakersfield, CA — Terri Palmquist noticed an ominous change at the FPA Women’s Health abortion facility in Bakersfield, California, where she regularly stands vigil to pray and offer practical assistance to abortion-bound women.
It was October 3, 2017, during their “LifeVigil” prayer campaign organized by Terri and her husband, Tim. She watched as one woman was helped into the abortion facility doubled over in pain, as if she was experiencing the severe cramps of labor – something with which Terri was well familiar as the mother of eleven. It seemed this woman who struggled to walk was experiencing some kind of complication from a recent abortion.
Terri had seen her share of women suffering abortion complications as well, having ministered outside the same high-volume abortion facility for nearly three decades.
She had remained throughout the years and watched as one abortionist after the other was hired, then moved on, leaving a trail of frequently injured women in their wake.
But the man who has been conducting abortions at the Bakersfield FPA abortion facility since the beginning of the year, Donald Clyde Willis, seemed to be among the worst she had ever seen. Up until then, he had sent five abortion patients to the emergency room for treatment of serious complications.
Later that morning, Terri spoke to the mother of another woman who was inside getting an abortion at four-and-a-half months into her pregnancy. The mother explained that her daughter had “seaweed” inserted the day before.
Suddenly, Terri understood what was happening. Willis was now doing more expensive second trimester abortions, upping the previous gestational limit that for years topped out at end of the first trimester.
But Terri also had a gut feeling. An abortionist with a horrible safety record doing the riskier and more difficult second trimester abortions was a recipe for disaster. At 1:30 p.m., she told her husband Tim, her partner in ministry, that he needed to get ready for an ambulance.
Her instincts were spot on.
Just 17 minutes later, at 1:47 p.m., an ambulance arrived at the FPA Women’s Health abortion business, followed by a security vehicle from the Adventist Health hospital two blocks away. A woman covered completely by a sheet was brought out on a gurney and loaded into the awaiting ambulance.
But something wasn’t right. The ambulance didn’t leave right away. Both EMTs appeared to be in the back of the ambulance treating the woman for several minutes before finally making the short trip to the emergency room, where Tim was waiting, camera in hand, thanks to Terri’s early warning.
When the gurney was pulled out of the ambulance, her head was no longer covered. Tim’s video clearly showed a young light-skinned woman wearing an oxygen mask attached to an oxygen source under the gurney. The obstetric position in which she laid, with her knees up and legs slightly apart, was unusual. Was that blood under her on the gurney?
She appeared unconscious.
This wasn’t the same woman who had earlier struggled to walk into the abortion facility, nor was she the woman who completed a two-day abortion that morning.
She was the sixth Willis patient to be transported by ambulance to a hospital emergency room this year.
Tim Palmquist told Operation Rescue that he learned more about what happened. He said the patient was a 23-year old Hispanic woman whose uterus was perforated during the abortion. Once at the hospital, she suffered cardiac arrest. Her heart reportedly stopped for five minutes before doctors could revive her. Her injuries were so serious that she received an emergency hysterectomy.
Currently, the woman is recovering in the Intensive Care Unit at Adventist Health.
“FPA has upped the ante in Bakersfield by expanding abortions into the second trimester, so we are upping the ante, too,” said Troy Newman, President of Operation Rescue. “We are filing a formal complaint against Donald Clyde Willis with the California Medical Board and will be seeking an emergency suspension of his medical license.”
Willis is a suicide survivor with documented mental health issues that caused Alaska to demand his medical license surrender. He moved to California from his home in Oregon to evade the permanent restrictions imposed on his medical license after the suicide attempt that included strict monitoring and routine appointments with a mental health professional. He also has a history of financial difficulties, having declared bankruptcy in 2010.
Below are brief summaries of his other abortion-related misadventures that forced the emergency hospitalization of Bakersfield area women this year.
• January 10, 2017: A woman was extracted from the abortion business completely wrapped in sheets without any visible signs of ongoing treatment. It is unknown if she was still alive.
• February 4, 2017: (First Incident) A patient was wheeled out of the abortion business and transported with no lights or sirens to Kern Medical Center.
• February 4, 2017: (Second Incident) A woman was transported by ambulance to San Joaquin Hospital’s emergency room. She was covered in a sheet, but was obviously receiving ongoing medical care.
• February 18, 2017: A female patient was transported from FPA Women’s Health to a nearby hospital. The disturbing pattern of botched abortions caused Operation Rescue to issue an Urgent Public Safety Advisory to women seeking abortions in the area of Bakersfield, California.
• August 19, 2017: A woman who appeared to be awake and moving was transported to Kern Medical where she was rushed into the emergency room.
Visit the Bakersfield FPA Women’s Health’s profile page on AbortionDocs.org.
Visit Willis’ profile page on AbortionDocs.org.
Visit LifeVigil Bakersfield’s Facebook page.
God bless the Palmquists for the perseverance and courage to continue their ministry vigil. I pray for the woman whose trip to the hospital was described in this posting.
Sorry but I have no symphathy for these women. I often think they deserve it and should die in the act. These pro abortion women are selfish and don’t care about killing a defenseless baby. Why should we care abou her.
Yes, often they are selfish (if they aren’t being coerced), but that is just one more reason why they need our empathy and prayers.
Because you have to care about everyone not just the baby. Don’t you see, you sound just like pro-abortion people because they only care about the rights of the mother and not the child. We love the mother and the child, that is what God intends for us to love all people as they are made in His image.
Because we are HUMAN and are made for compassion. If we have no love or compassion, we would be animals, which folks who believe in the religion of Evolution consider we are.
If we have no compassion for fellow sinners, how arrogant we must be to expect God to forgive ANY bad WE do.
Not only did they kill the baby, they almost murdered the mother. Now, as young as she is she can never have a child. How very sad. Another life ruined by an abortionist! Please Mama’s to be do not do this to your own baby. Raisw them or give them up for adoption. Things are not like they were years ago when unwed mothers were so scorned. You can keep and raise your own flesh and blood and , if you are a good mom, being admired for doing so. DO not decide to kill your baby and, perhaps , yourself.
Awful story, but ‘mother of ELEVEN’? The days are long past when 2 people would NEED a small army of kids to help ‘run the ranch/farm’, so eleven kids is way more than ‘replacement’ level for mom and dad.
Every one of our 11 children is a blessing, each a unique individual created in the image of God and inspired by Him to serve in ways we never imagined. I pray Ezekiel 36:26 for you.
Fully agree.
If you’ve never been a member of a large family you can’t know of the wonderful “help” your siblings can give after your parents are gone.
Really? You think that ‘replacement’ or ‘help run the ranch/farm’ is the only valid reason to have children? Shame on you! Children are NOT commodities!
ROFL, they are the most wonderful expenses you will have.
In my birthfamily, I am the oldest of the third generation of 12 children. In the talk about diversity and families coming in all configurations, there should not be disdain for large families. People who have large families have just as much choice about their reproductive lives as those who subscribe to the “pro-choice” mantra. Procreating is more than just replacing of mom and dad. My children are a physical manifestation of the love between my husband and me.
EVERY ONE of my 9 children (+the 10th who died in miscarriage) are a blessing and were NOT created for the purpose of running a ranch/farm or for replacement. Gone should be the days where people think of children as tidy little replacements or as burdens. In a day when MANY people have come to accept children as the blessings they are, I would consider Mr. Manfredgensenden’s comment out of date.
I am father of five. My kids did not help me farm or ranch. They are blessings from GOD. (I wonder if the Bible says that anywhere?) If Adam and Eve quit at two, Cain and Mabel, say, and they had a son and a daughter, then the world would never have heard of such things as ZPG. LOL.
Eleven children…wish I had the guts and nerves. We NEED more children to keep our country solvent and not slaves to immigration. Look at what is happening in Europe
Maybe the couple truly sees children as a blessing and not as laborers or “replacements”.
I do NOT understand this at all. There are ONLY two professions that that law does not mandate honoring of revocation of license. LAW and Medicine.
OPERATION RESCUE: Please take a good hard look at USING the State of ALASKA to sue the state of CA (possibly by a third party friend of court filing? Jay Sekelow are you reading this?) for CA refusal to give Alaska FULL FAITH AND CREDIT under the US Constitution. I know that in any and every other area persons given judicial or bureaucratic judgement is honored in EVERY OTHER STATE by law. It is time that LAW and MEDICINE are joined in this.
So much for the “SAFE ABORTION” availability!!
At LEAST one half the people involved in the act of abortion DIE during the procedure!