Dr. Anthony Levatino's Testimony: The Reality of Abortion Procedures
Introduction of the Witness and His Professional Background
The first witness is Dr. Anthony Levatino, an American board-certified specialist in obstetrics and gynecology. Dr. Levatino practiced obstetrics and gynecology in both the private and academic sectors, including his role as an associate professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Albany Medical College.
Dr. Levatino began his testimony by saying, "Peace be upon you, thank you, Mr. Chairman and committee members. I have only five minutes, so I will begin immediately."
Technical Description of the Abortion Procedure (Dilation and Evacuation)
Abortion procedures in the second trimester are performed using the "dilation and evacuation" (D&E) technique, typically between weeks 14 and 24 of pregnancy.
Imagine your patient today is 17 years old, pregnant at 22 weeks, and the size of the fetus is about the length of your hand plus a few centimeters. She has felt the baby's kicks in recent weeks, but now she is asleep on the operating table. You enter the operating room, scrubbed and wearing surgical attire. After removing the "laminaria" (a tool for dilating the cervix), you insert a suction catheter into the uterus.
This is a French 14 suction catheter. If the patient were 12 weeks pregnant or less, the width of the fetus would be about the width of your hand, and you could perform the entire procedure using this tool. However, children of this size (at 22 weeks) cannot pass through a catheter of this size.
Use of the "Sopher Clamp"
After suctioning the amniotic fluid around the fetus, you insert a tool called the "Sopher Clamp" or "forceps," which is about 33 cm long and made of stainless steel. The tip of the forceps is about 6 cm long and 1.3 cm wide, with rows of sharp teeth. This is a powerful grasping tool; once it grabs something, it does not let go.
This procedure is a "blind" abortion, so imagine yourself inserting this tool, grabbing something blindly, and pulling it out forcefully; out comes a leg of this size, which you place on the table beside you. You insert the tool again and pull, out comes an arm of about the same length, which you place on the table beside you, and you use this tool repeatedly to tear the spine, intestines, heart, and lungs.
The head of the fetus at this size is about the size of a large plum. You cannot see it, but you have a good idea of its location. You will know you have done it correctly if you press the tool and a white substance comes out of the cervix; that was the baby's brain. At that point, you can pull out parts of the skull. Sometimes a small face comes back and stares at you.
Congratulations, you have just performed a successful second-trimester abortion, and you have just confirmed your "right to choose."
Why did I stop performing abortions? I performed over 1,200 abortions over four years in a private clinic, in addition to the procedures I performed during my residency.
I met my wife during my first year of residency at Albany Medical Center, and we married about a year later. We discovered we had a fertility problem. After years of failed fertility treatments and adoption attempts, God blessed us with the adoption of a small girl we named "Heather" in August 1978. As sometimes happens, my wife became pregnant the very next month, and we were blessed with two children within 10 months of each other.
Two months before my daughter Heather's sixth birthday, she was killed in a car accident and died in my arms in the back of an ambulance. Anyone with children might think they understand this feeling, but until someone goes through it themselves, they will never truly understand.
The Decisive Moment and the Final Decision
After this tragedy, I buried my child and returned to my professional life. I do not remember exactly how much time passed before I performed my first second-trimester abortion after the accident. I did not think of it as anything special; it was routine for me.
However, when I reached in and pulled out an arm or a leg, I felt nauseous for the first time. During an abortion procedure, you must keep an accurate record and ensure that all parts (two arms, two legs, etc.) are retrieved; if you do not, the patient may return with an infection, bleeding, or even die.
So I continued working and completed that procedure. But afterward, I looked closely at the pile of body parts on the side of the table, and I did not see the "wonderful right to choose," nor did I see the money I earned; all I saw was "someone's son or daughter."
I immediately stopped performing late-term abortions, and after several months, I stopped performing all abortions completely.