Operation Rescue recently received evidence of a rash of abortion injuries across several abortion clinics located in Chicago, Illinois — a state that refuses to inspect or require licensing for abortion businesses while all other types of ambulatory centers are held to a different and more rigorous standard.
“Every day, state officials in Illinois are choosing to turn a blind eye to abortion clinics, letting them operate as they please,” says Troy Newman, President of Operation Rescue. “As a result of this politically motivated privilege, countless women have been injured while the clinics responsible face zero consequences.”
Records obtained by Pro-Life Action League and shared with Operation Rescue’s investigative team reveal serious, life-threatening complications at more than one abortion clinic, as well as the deceptive relaying of information from abortion staff to 911 dispatch.
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Over the next two weeks, Operation Rescue will release deep-dive reports on this swell of abortion injuries in radicalized Illinois, beginning with an incident that took place at Family Planning Associates.
January 22 – A Pneumothorax
On January 22, the anniversary of Roe v Wade, a staff member at Family Planning Associates, located at 659 W Washington Blvd, called for emergency services around 2:20 PM. The caller reported a woman suspected to be suffering from “a pneumothorax after she had an elective abortion.”
A pneumothorax is also referred to as a collapsed lung, which occurs when air leaks into the space between the lung and chest wall. It can be a complete collapse or only a part of the lung.
When 911 dispatch asked the staffer to repeat the possible diagnosis, the caller added, “We suspect it’s a possible pneumothorax ‘cause she has diminished breath sounds on her left side.” The woman was experiencing chest pain, as well.
At the beginning of the call, the staffer also seemed keen to immediately point out “everything went well” — referencing the abortion — but that seems unlikely as this woman was now facing a life-threatening injury to her lung.
Though a pneumothorax can happen spontaneously, it can also be caused by a pulmonary embolism, also known as a blood clot, which can occur during severe hemorrhage. Is it possible this woman was experiencing internal bleeding that had, so far, gone undiagnosed? Or, perhaps worse, was the true cause of her injury being intentionally hidden or downplayed by abortion clinic staff to cover their own missteps?
“We’ve seen abortion workers do both in hundreds of 911 calls,” adds Newman.
In 2012, Tonya Reeves began hemorrhaging during a second-trimester abortion at a Chicago Planned Parenthood. The abortionist and other staff let her hemorrhage for over five hours and performed three different abortion procedures on Tonya before calling for emergency transport. By then, it was too late to save Tonya’s life.
Just last year, 18-year-old Lexi Arguello died after developing a catastrophic complication during a second-trimester abortion at a Planned Parenthood in Colorado – another state that does not require abortion clinics to undergo inspections or have a license. Lexi likely experienced an amniotic fluid embolism, severe hemorrhaging, or both, and once more emergency care was delayed by abortion workers. She died hours later at the hospital.
Countless Injuries But No Investigations
In the state of Illinois, Operation Rescue received reports of 21 women injured across eight abortion facilities in 2025. Not one of those injuries were investigated by the state, even when multiple emergencies took place at a single clinic.
So far, in 2026, 6 women have already been injured across 5 facilities, and there is no reason to believe these emergencies will be slowing down.
The current medical status of the woman injured on January 22 remains unknown, but Operation Rescue will continue to investigate — knowing state officials refuse to do so themselves, abandoning women and protecting abortion for obvious political gain.
“There is no justification Illinois officials, legislators, or health department higher-ups can offer for this intentional lack of oversight for an entire group of supposed medical clinics,” says Newman. “Illinois is an abortion devastation, and women entering the doors of these abortion businesses are not safe. With so many injuries, it is only a matter of time before a woman dies — some may have died already. How can Illinois continue protecting horrific abortion clinics while its own citizens, and those traveling to their state, are left, quite literally, to die?”
LifeNews Note: This article was originally published by Operation Rescue, a leading pro-life, Christian activist organization dedicated to exposing abortion abuses, demanding enforcement, saving innocent lives, and building an abortion-free America. The author, Sarah Neely, is Chief Operating Officer for Operation Rescue.
