The death of a 24-year-old woman who succumbed to complications during an abortion procedure has been ruled an accident.
Planned Parenthood of Illinois expressed condolences Sunday for the family of Tonya Reaves, who died Friday after she began to hemorrhage during a cervical dilation and evacuation, the technical term for an abortion, at a clinic in Chicago's South Loop, the Chicago Tribune reports.
“It happened so fast. She was just fine one day and then the next day she was gone," Reaves’ twin sister, Toni Reaves, told WBBM News. She says her sister was engaged to be married soon and had one son who just turned one. "We’re just trying to figure out what happened… what happened,” Reaves said.
Tonya Reaves' death was ruled an accident by the Cook County medical examiner's office, brought on by complications that affect less than 0.3 percent of abortion patients, according to the Guttmacher Institute, the Chicago Sun-Times reports.
Planned Parenthood of Illinois President and CEO Carole Brite issued a statement Sunday, according to NBC Chicago:
“While legal abortion services in the United States have a very high safety record, a tragedy such as this is devastating to loved ones and we offer our deepest sympathies,” Brite said. “Planned Parenthood of Illinois cares deeply about the health and safety of each and every patient.”