Mr. Johnson:
I am a board-certified obstetrician/gynecologist and a Fellow of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. I perfomled both first and second trimester abortions from 1977 until 1985 including D&E abortions up to twenty-two weeks gestation. I was Assistant Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Albany Medical College from June 1993 to September 2000 during which time I served as both Residency Program Director and Medical Student Education Director. I also served as the ACOG District II, Section IX Vice Chaimlan from 1995 unti11998. Currently I am engaged in the private practice of obstetrics and gynecology in New Mexico. My resume is attached.
The partial-birth abortion illustrations that I have forwarded to you were painted by Mrs. Tanja Butler who is currently a professor of art at Gordon College in Massachusetts. They were prepared under my supervision and, in my professional judgment, they accurately depict the D&X abortion described by Dr. Martin Haskell in his 1992 paper entitled "Dilation and Extraction for Late Second Trimester Abortion". This type of late-term abortion later came to be known by the legal term of art "partialbirth abortion" because of its similarity to full-term delivery of infants in breech position. The images are size-appropriate to a fetus of approximately 24 weeks gestation. This is a typical gestational age for partial-birth abortion although many of these procedures are performed at even later gestational ages.
Please feel free to contact me if you have any further questions.
Very truly yours,
~~~ Anthony Levatino, MD, JD
So sad, so necessary.
A fellow Dad.