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PROVIDED BY:
Operation Rescue
March 13, 2025
Fort Collins, CO – Operation Rescue has launched a
full investigation into the death of Alexis “Lexi” Arguello, an
18-year-old Colorado girl who died from abortion complications on
February 6, after delayed emergency transport from the Fort Collins
Planned Parenthood.
“Our team has been gathering information on this
death for weeks, slowly piecing together exactly what happened,” said
Sarah Neely, Chief Operating Officer of Operation Rescue. “On March 12,
however, testimony during a hearing with the Colorado Committee of
Health and Human Services confirmed everything we have been
investigating, including Planned Parenthood’s suspected failings.”
On the morning of February 6, Lexi Arguello arrived
at Fort Collins Planned Parenthood for a second trimester abortion.
Initial reports suspected she was 20 weeks along in her pregnancy, but
testimony from Dr. Keri Kasun in yesterday’s hearing confirmed she was
actually 22 weeks, according to family members.
“This young woman was nearly six months along in her
pregnancy,” said Troy Newman, President of Operation Rescue.”The later
in pregnancy a woman has an abortion, the higher the risk of
complications. Did anyone tell Lexi about that risk before she chose to
undergo a procedure that ultimately cost her life, along with the life
of her child?”
During the hearing, Dr. Kasun related how Lexi’s
grandparents reached out to her after the devastating loss of their
grandchild and great grandchild. (Listen to Dr. Kasun's testimony here.)
“Lexi’s grandparents were called to the hospital on
February 6,” she states. “This is the first time they learned of Lexi’s
pregnancy. The grandfather shared with me the hospital experience. He
could see the heroic efforts the doctors were doing to save her life,
and he could see the deep concern in their faces that the situation was
very dire. Her vitals were all over the place, the oxygen levels were
horrible. After multiple doses of epi and seven liters of blood, his
granddaughter’s blood pressure dropped—her heart rate and blood pressure
dropped—and he seen in his granddaughter’s face that it was her end.”
Kasun reported that Lexi experienced an amniotic
fluid embolism (AFE), a life-threatening complication with a high death
rate, especially in second and third trimester abortions. Amniotic fluid
enters the mother’s bloodstream, which can lead to an array of serious
and sudden reactions, including cardiac arrest and widespread bleeding.
A case study of AFE published in 2022 states
“suspicion of AFE should prompt a multidisciplinary team including
anaesthesia, respiratory therapy, critical care, and maternal-foetal
medicine to be involved in the ongoing care of women with AFE.”
“Abortion clinics are not equipped for critical
care,” said Neely. “We request dozens and dozens of 911 calls every year
proving this fact. Planned Parenthood Fort Collins not only had zero
ability to address this life-threatening complication, but testimony
from Dr. Kasun shows they made Lexi’s situation even worse, callously
trying to protect their clinic over saving this girl’s life.”
In the second half of Dr. Kasun’s testimony, she drops the bombshell revelation:
“So, Lexi’s grandfather was told by the abortion
providers, um, that Lexi was transferred too late. Um, she didn’t
receive the urgency of care that would be required in order to have a
chance to survive this condition. Um, instead, she got the silent siren
treatment.”
According to Lexi’s grandparents, Planned Parenthood
admitted to waiting far too long to call an ambulance. When they
finally did call, they apparently requested no sirens. This is a
well-known tactic among abortion clinics. Instead of prioritizing
patients whose lives are hanging in the balance, abortion clinics would
rather delay critical care by trying to downplay the necessity of
emergency transport with no lights or sirens.
Furthermore, local sidewalk counselors also report
that emergency vehicles arriving at this Planned Parenthood are always
directed to go through the neighboring properties, hidden and out of
sight, usually with no sirens, as opposed to using the more accessible
main entrance.
“Planned Parenthood does not care about women,” said
Newman. “This Planned Parenthood did not care if Lexi Arguello survived
her complications. If they had, staff would have called an ambulance
the minute she exhibited symptoms, and they would have requested lights,
sirens, and any other measures that might have saved Lexi’s life.”
Yesterday’s hearing concerned HB25-1252, a bill that
would have established the same kind of regulations and reporting for
Colorado abortion clinics to which all other ambulatory centers in the
state are already held.
The Public Affairs Manager for Planned Parenthood of
the Rocky Mountains, the affiliate that oversees Fort Collins, placidly
argued that Planned Parenthood did not need any regulation. She
referred to Planned Parenthood as a “beacon of hope” and vowed that they
“will always defend their patients.”
“February 6 was probably one of the darkest days of
Lexi’s grandparents’ life, not to mention her parents and other loved
ones,” said Newman. “Where was Planned Parenthood’s so-called beacon
that day? Where was this supposed promise to defend their patients? Lexi
and her child died a horrific death, made even worse by the callousness
we see exhibited over and over again by abortion workers standing
around a dying woman, refusing to call an ambulance because it might
draw too much attention. That’s not healthcare for that patient. It’s
hell.”
Neely adds, “This is an ongoing investigation, and
Operation Rescue will not stop until every legal avenue has been
pursued. We are still obtaining records and conducting interviews. We
have reached out to at least one family member, offering our condolences
and offering to put them in contact with an attorney. That is a
standing offer. Complaints will also be forthcoming. Planned Parenthood
must be held accountable for this complete failure in patient care.”
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