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| Robert Rho and Jamie Lee Morales |
A doctor was arrested on a charge of manslaughter after allegedly allowing a young woman to die by sending her home with internal bleeding, police in New York said.
Queens District Attorney Richard A. Brown announced that the Flushing medical doctor was charged with second-degree manslaughter for allegedly recklessly causing the death of the 30-year-old woman.
The doctor allegedly perforated her uterine wall, and caused a disruption and transection of the uterine artery during the surgical procedure at the health facility, where
he practices.
He then failed to provide appropriate and timely medical attention to the woman.
Robert Rho, 52, of Lake Success, maintains a medical practice at Liberty Women’s Health Care of Queens, located at 37-01 Main
Street, Flushing.
If convicted, Dr. Rho faces up to 15 years in prison. He was booked into jail, and his bail has been set at $400,000.
According to the criminal complaint, the victim made an appointment to have an abortion performed at Liberty Women’s Health, and arrived with her sister at the Flushing
Facility.
During the course of the surgical procedure, which took place at shortly after 1:00 p.m., Dr. Rho caused a laceration of the victim’s cervix, a perforation of the uterine wall and a disruption and transection of the uterine artery, and then failed to provide her with appropriate and timely
medical attention.
While in the recovery room, the victim, Jamie Lee Morales of Buffalo, was bleeding profusely and was required to undergo a second procedure at the health facility.
Thereafter, the victim was allowed to leave the facility despite having collapsed and appearing disoriented. While on the way to her sister’s Bronx residence, the victim allegedly fell off the backseat and became unresponsive.
She was transported to a Bronx hospital, where she was treated for vaginal bleeding and given six units of blood. The victim was pronounced dead that night.
