An Illinois abortion doctor accused of leaving half of a dead baby inside a woman during a botched late-term abortion has quietly settled the case, and he is still performing abortions today.
Story Snapshot
- Dr. Keith Reisinger-Kindle of Equity Clinic in Champaign performed a 22-week abortion in April 2023.
- A lawsuit says he left half of the unborn child inside the woman and punctured her uterus.
- A judge forced the anonymous plaintiff to reveal her identity or drop her lawsuit.
- Illinois regulators fined and reprimanded the doctor, but he kept his license.
- The lawsuit was settled for an undisclosed amount, and Reisinger-Kindle continues performing abortions.
A Late-Term Abortion Turns Into an Emergency
Court records show Dr. Keith Reisinger-Kindle performed a second-trimester abortion at Equity Clinic in Champaign, Illinois, in April 2023. The patient, identified in court filings as Jane Doe and later named as Michelle Hardy, was 22 weeks pregnant. Days after the procedure, she needed emergency medical care. Doctors discovered fetal remains had been left inside her body, requiring emergency surgery to remove them.
The lawsuit alleges Reisinger-Kindle perforated her uterus during the procedure and failed to remove all of the fetal tissue. One surgeon involved in the emergency operation reportedly called it “the worst thing I’ve ever seen at surgery”. A medical report cited in the case says the doctor “deviated from a reasonable standard of care”. The woman’s attorney described the ordeal as “horrific”.
Judge Orders Victim to Reveal Her Name
Reisinger-Kindle’s legal team pushed back against the anonymous filing. Champaign County Circuit Judge Jason Bohm sided with the doctor in August, ruling the woman had to identify herself in court records or abandon her claim entirely. The lawsuit sought damages of more than $50,000 per count. Forcing an abortion patient to publicly attach her name to such a graphic and painful medical failure raises real questions about how the legal system protects patients versus providers in these cases.
This is not the first time a late-term abortion has left a woman with retained fetal remains. Similar allegations have surfaced in other states over the years, including a case in Nebraska where a woman claimed a doctor left a piece of skull inside her body. Retained tissue after a pregnancy is ended is a recognized medical complication, but it is typically caught and treated immediately, not discovered days later in an emergency room.
State Regulators Issued Only a Fine
The Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation investigated the case and issued Reisinger-Kindle a fine and a reprimand for performing an unsafe abortion. He was not stripped of his medical license and continued practicing at Equity Clinic. Critics of Illinois’ handling of the abortion industry argue this kind of light discipline for a botched procedure that nearly caused catastrophic harm shows how little accountability exists for abortion providers in states that have expanded abortion access.
Illinois abortionist Keith Reisinger-Kindle settled a lawsuit after puncturing an Indiana mother's uterus and leaving her aborted baby's remains behind. #ProLife #Abortion #MedicalMalpractice #Illinois #ChristianPost
🔗 https://t.co/RRfNtgwkNO https://t.co/vF1V4w3fm3 pic.twitter.com/SNqrFuWynX— The Christian Post (@ChristianPost) August 18, 2026
Illinois has positioned itself as a destination state for abortion, including late-term procedures, drawing patients from states with stricter limits. This case highlights the risks that can come with that expansion, especially for women traveling for care with limited follow-up options if something goes wrong. A procedure resulting in a punctured uterus and retained remains represents a serious failure of basic surgical safety, regardless of where the abortion took place.
Case Settled Quietly, Doctor Still Practicing
Court records show the plaintiff filed an agreed motion to dismiss the case on July 24, 2026, and the court approved it on August 3. The settlement amount was not disclosed publicly, a common outcome in medical malpractice cases where confidentiality clauses are standard practice. Reisinger-Kindle has continued performing abortions at Equity Clinic since the settlement. For a woman who endured emergency surgery and lasting emotional distress, the case closing without public accountability leaves troubling questions about oversight in the abortion industry unanswered.
Sources:
lifesitenews.com, yahoo.com, foxnews.com, ewtnnews.com, etzlerlawheadlegalgroup.com, chicago.suntimes.com, liveaction.org, allsides.com, x.com, prolifeaction.org
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