Part 4: Late Term Abortionists Arbitrarily Choose Who Lives and Dies in New Mexico

By Bud Shaver

Albuquerque, NM- In part 4 of a 6 part series documenting the New Mexico Abortion Cartel, Abortion Free New Mexico (AFNM) takes a look at Southwestern Women’s Options (SWO), the nations largest late term abortion facility.

Southwestern Women’s Options advertises on it’s website, “Elective Abortions through 28 weeks… Later Abortion for Maternal and Fetal Indications.”

(Screenshot from SWO website)

Previous reports by AFNM have revealed that SWO is drawing women from all across the world for barbaric full term abortions, thus making Albuquerque known nationally as the Late Term Abortion Capital.

This report pulls back the curtain on the abortion cartel in New Mexico that is self regulating with arbitrary standards because of the absence of any common sense legislation which would provide oversight and accountability that is so desperately needed.

The latest undercover recording released by Abortion Free New Mexico and Priests for Life reveals just how arbitrary the standard is for determining which baby lives or dies at Southwestern Women’s Options.

Listen to the undercover recording here.

Fr. Frank Pavone, National Director, Priests for Life issued the following statement,

“Once again, this undercover call reveals that abortions are taking place legally in our country even in the third trimester of pregnancy. We will continue to expose this evil in the weeks and months to come. We call on all Americans, including those who identify themselves as “prochoice,” to communicate to their legislators their opposition to these late term procedures, so that we can begin restoring protection to these children.”

In the first call to Southwestern, a caller posed as a woman who was pregnant with a baby who had been diagnosed with Down syndrome. Without hesitation she was given an abortion appointment, despite being 33 weeks pregnant.

In a second call, an undercover caller posed as a healthy woman pregnant with a 30-week healthy pre-born baby whom she has decided to abort because her husband lost his job.

The third calling, a minor posing as the victim of incest by an older family member is seeking a late-term abortion at 26 weeks of pregnancy. Instead of urging the sexual assault victim to contact the authorities – as required by law — the abortion clinic staff gives the young girl a phone number to the New Mexico Medicaid office so that she can obtain the $7,500 procedure for free.

The fourth call combines two earlier calls and adds new details, including that mothers so far advanced in their pregnancies should not be aborted in stand-alone clinics like Southwestern – although they are – and that the availability of third-trimester abortions depends on the “comfort” level of the abortionist.

“The bottom line is that SWO is willing to terminate a disabled child in spite of their own admission that late- term abortions shouldn’t be done in an outpatient clinic because they pose significant risks to mothers,” said Tara Shaver, spokeswoman for Abortion Free New Mexico.

“The ‘comfort’ zone of the abortionists at Southwestern Women’s Options, which appear to be based on an arbitrary eugenic standard, have ultimately led them to decide which babies should live or die. Barbaric late- term abortions are rejected by the majority of the American people because viable babies are being killed, and in our latest undercover recording, the abortion workers themselves admit that late-term abortions shouldn’t be performed because they are too dangerous for the women seeking them. New Mexico abortion facilities need oversight and accountability that comes from common-sense regulations,” Mrs. Shaver said.

Since 2010, Tara Shaver of AFNM with the help of Operation Rescue has documented at least 17 abortion related injuries inflicted upon women at Southwestern Women’s Options. At least one of these horrific injuries was the result of a late term abortion performed by abortionist Shelley Sella at 35 weeks of pregnancy. The pregnant woman from New York came to Albuquerque to have her baby killed because of a diagnosed fetal anomaly. Sella ignored the risks and committed four acts of gross negligence during the abortion that caused a ruptured uterus and required medical transport to a nearby hospital.

“The ‘comfort’ zone of the abortionists at Southwestern Women’s Options, that appear to be based on an arbitrary eugenic standard, have ultimately led them to decide which babies should live or die. Barbaric late term abortions are rejected by the majority of the American people because viable babies are being killed, and in our latest undercover recording, the abortion workers themselves admit that late term abortions shouldn’t be performed because they are too dangerous for the women seeking them. New Mexico abortion facilities need oversight and accountability that comes from common sense regulations,” said Tara Shaver, spokeswoman for Abortion Free New Mexico.

Facts Uncovered about Southwestern Women’s Options since 2010

• Southwestern Women’s Option is drawing women from all across the country and the world for late-term abortions making Albuquerque, New Mexico known as the Late Term Abortion Capital.
• Abortions have been performed at Southwestern Women’s Options up to 35 weeks gestation. Beyond 28 weeks of pregnancy terminations are arbitrarily decided on a “case by case basis.”
• New Mexico law [NM Stat § 30-5-1] criminalizes the practice of late term abortions that are performed outside of hospitals. However, this law is not being enforced, leaving women to suffer at the hands of unregulated abortionists at Southwestern Women’s Options.
• Every Tuesday late term abortions are started at Southwestern Women’s Options and take 3-4 days to complete.
• Abortionist Curtis Boyd owns and runs Southwestern Women’s Options located in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
• The Sandia Foundation owns the land on which his building sits.
• Current abortionists at Southwestern Women’s Options are Shelley Sella, who resides in California and Carmen Landau, who lives in Albuquerque.
• Shelley Sella has a Notice of Contemplated Action on her New Mexico medical license for the botched 35 week abortion she performed in 2011. Tara Shaver and Operation Rescue filed the complaint which prompted the New Mexico Medical Board investigation.
• Southwestern Women’s Options is the sole provider of fetal remains to the University of New Mexico.
• Southwestern Women’s Options is currently under investigation by the New Mexico Attorney General prompted by a complaint filed in July 2015 by Tara Shaver on the basis of potential violations of two state statutes regarding the illegal use of aborted fetal remains for medical research at the University of New Mexico.