| Revision as of 18:32, 29 November 2014 editMastCell (talk | contribs)Edit filter managers, Administrators43,155 edits →External links: rm; excessively morbid← Previous edit | Revision as of 15:01, 30 November 2014 edit undoBoboMeowCat (talk | contribs)4,152 edits Undid revision 635923756 by MastCell (talk) per talk page-it's not disputed that she had a "septic abortion" but "unsafe abortion" is disputed in RS so should not be asserted in wikipedia's voiceNext edit → | ||
| Line 1: | Line 1: | ||
| '''Rebecca "Becky" Suzanne Bell''' (August 24, 1971 – September 16, 1988) was an ] teenage girl who died of complications from an ]. |
'''Rebecca "Becky" Suzanne Bell''' (August 24, 1971 – September 16, 1988) was an ] teenage girl who died of complications from an ]. Following Bell's death, her parents became advocates for the repeal of parental-consent laws, which they blamed for her death. | ||
| * {{cite news | title = 'THESE LAWS KILL': Notification rule drives girls to back alleys, pro-choice activist says |date = January 20, 2006 | work = ] | first = Morgan | last = Kelly | quote = Karen Bell's 17-year-old daughter Becky got an illegal abortion in 1988 and later died. Their home state of Indiana made girls get their parents' permission before they could have a safe abortion, Bell said during a Statehouse press conference.}} | |||
| * {{cite news | title = Teen's death propels parents into abortion battle | date = July 19, 1992 | work = ] | first = Alan | last = Derringer | quote = Before 17-year-old Becky Bell died from an illegal abortion, her parents led an unconcerned, apolitical existence in a middle-class suburb of Indianapolis... The coroner has said he believes that Becky or someone else induced an abortion with an unsterilized instrument—something like a knitting needle or piece of wire.}} | |||
| * {{cite news | title = NEW RULING REKINDLES ABORTION DEBATE | date = June 27, 1990 | work = ] | first = Rich | last = James | quote = Becky was a vivacious, blue-eyed, blonde when she died of an infection after self-aborting in September 1988.}} | |||
| * {{cite news | title = Abortion's combat zone | date = May 5, 1992 | work = ] | first = Jamie | last = Dettmer | quote = (Bell) was too ashamed or too anxious about causing disappointment to turn to her parents for help in ending a pregnancy. Her death, the result of a botched illegal termination, possibly self-induced, devastated her family and friends and set Bill and Karen Bell on a journey across America to argue against laws requiring minors to gain parental consent before terminating a pregnancy.}} | |||
| * {{cite news | title = Indiana Dad in S.F. to Tell How Abortion Law Led to Death | date = January 22, 1996 | work = ] | first = Harriet | last = Chiang | quote = (Bell) never gave her parents cause to worry except when she turned cartwheels down the street to raise money for the humane society. But at 17, the tall, slender, blond girl died in 1988 after a botched illegal abortion.}} | |||
| * {{cite news | title = Daughter's death leads to an odyssey | date = September 29, 1991 | work = ] | first = Mark | last = Beach | quote = Becky Bell died from an illegal abortion in 1988 in Indianapolis, Ind.}} | |||
| * {{cite news | title = Abortion's Hardest Cases | first = Margaret | last = Carlson | work = ] | date = July 9, 1990 | url = http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,970568,00.html | quote = They (the Bells) did not know that there was any such thing as a parental-consent law. But there is such a law in Indiana, where the Bells live and where their daughter Becky, 17, died after an illegal abortion.}}</ref> Following Bell's death, her parents became advocates for the repeal of parental-consent laws. | |||
| == Background == | == Background == | ||
| Line 14: | Line 7: | ||
| |last=Abbot|first=Karen|work=Rocky Mountain News|date=October 29, 1998|page=11A|place=Denver}}</ref> These conditions were likely caused by the use of unsterile instruments during the procedure.<ref name="60-min">{{cite news|title=Becky's Story|url=http://www.cbsnews.com/videos/beckys-story/| publisher = ] | work = ]|date=February 24, 1991}}</ref> After Bell's death, her parents found among Bell's possessions contact information for abortion clinics in nearby Kentucky, which did not have parental consent laws, but there was no record of her visiting a Kentucky clinic;<ref name=tol/> it is unclear where Bell obtained her abortion, or whether she induced the abortion herself.<ref name="trib">{{cite news | url = http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1990-04-08/news/9001290267_1_parental-consent-minor-s-abortion-becky-bell | title = Abortion Law Blamed In Death | work = ] | first = Barbara | last = Brotman | date = April 8, 1990}}</ref> | |last=Abbot|first=Karen|work=Rocky Mountain News|date=October 29, 1998|page=11A|place=Denver}}</ref> These conditions were likely caused by the use of unsterile instruments during the procedure.<ref name="60-min">{{cite news|title=Becky's Story|url=http://www.cbsnews.com/videos/beckys-story/| publisher = ] | work = ]|date=February 24, 1991}}</ref> After Bell's death, her parents found among Bell's possessions contact information for abortion clinics in nearby Kentucky, which did not have parental consent laws, but there was no record of her visiting a Kentucky clinic;<ref name=tol/> it is unclear where Bell obtained her abortion, or whether she induced the abortion herself.<ref name="trib">{{cite news | url = http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1990-04-08/news/9001290267_1_parental-consent-minor-s-abortion-becky-bell | title = Abortion Law Blamed In Death | work = ] | first = Barbara | last = Brotman | date = April 8, 1990}}</ref> | ||
| ==Impact on abortion debate== | |||
| ==Parental consent laws== | |||
| Following Bell's death, her parents, Bill and Karen Bell, have campaigned against parental consent laws, which they blame for their daughter's death.<ref>{{cite news|title=Parental Consent to Abortion: How Enforcement Can Vary|first=Tamar|last=Lewin|work=New York Times|date=May 28, 1992|url=http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CA174853212&v=2.1&it=r&p=AONE&sw=w&asid=72a9344ac91c378c507a78a8bb571471}}{{paywall}}</ref> The Bells worked with the ], which credited them with helping to turn public opinion against a parental-notification law in Oregon.<ref name="nyt">{{cite news | last = Lewin | first = Tamar | date = October 27, 1991 | url = http://www.nytimes.com/1991/10/27/us/in-debate-on-abortion-2-girls-make-it-real.html | title = In Debate on Abortion, 2 Girls Make It Real | work = ]|page=1}}</ref> The Bells worked against proposed parental notification laws in Colorado in 1998.<ref name=foes/> In 2006 they testified before the ] in opposition to a pending parental consent law.<ref>{{cite journal|title=When parental involvement laws go wrong |authorlink=Kate Michelman|last=Michelman|first=Kate|journal=]|date=May–June 2006|volume=66|number=3|url=http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CA147057299&v=2.1&it=r&p=AONE&sw=w&asid=727ca1dfb5326b93c783ea20bd4725cc}}{{paywall}}</ref> | Following Bell's death, her parents, Bill and Karen Bell, have campaigned against parental consent laws, which they blame for their daughter's death.<ref>{{cite news|title=Parental Consent to Abortion: How Enforcement Can Vary|first=Tamar|last=Lewin|work=New York Times|date=May 28, 1992|url=http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CA174853212&v=2.1&it=r&p=AONE&sw=w&asid=72a9344ac91c378c507a78a8bb571471}}{{paywall}}</ref> The Bells worked with the ], which credited them with helping to turn public opinion against a parental-notification law in Oregon.<ref name="nyt">{{cite news | last = Lewin | first = Tamar | date = October 27, 1991 | url = http://www.nytimes.com/1991/10/27/us/in-debate-on-abortion-2-girls-make-it-real.html | title = In Debate on Abortion, 2 Girls Make It Real | work = ]|page=1}}</ref> The Bells worked against proposed parental notification laws in Colorado in 1998.<ref name=foes/> In 2006 they testified before the ] in opposition to a pending parental consent law.<ref>{{cite journal|title=When parental involvement laws go wrong |authorlink=Kate Michelman|last=Michelman|first=Kate|journal=]|date=May–June 2006|volume=66|number=3|url=http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CA147057299&v=2.1&it=r&p=AONE&sw=w&asid=727ca1dfb5326b93c783ea20bd4725cc}}{{paywall}}</ref> | ||
| In response, according to '']'', |
In response to her parent's lobbying efforts, some anti-abortion leaders, according to '']'', attacked "the Bells' motives and the character of their dead daughter".<ref name="60-min"/> In an interview with 60 Minutes, ], a retired physician and anti-abortion advocate, claimed that Bell's mother had stated that Becky was "dating a high-school drop-out" and "got into the drug scene" before her death.<ref name="60-min"/> Willke also claimed that he and other doctors who had reviewed the autopsy report saw no sign of an induced abortion and believed Bell had experienced a natural miscarriage. The forensic pathologist who conducted Bell's autopsy disagreed, stating that he believed the infection was caused by unsterile instruments.<ref name="60-min"/> | ||
| ==''Lifestories: Families in Crisis'' episode== | ==''Lifestories: Families in Crisis'' episode== | ||
Revision as of 15:01, 30 November 2014
Rebecca "Becky" Suzanne Bell (August 24, 1971 – September 16, 1988) was an American teenage girl who died of complications from an septic abortion. Following Bell's death, her parents became advocates for the repeal of parental-consent laws, which they blamed for her death.
Background
Bell discovered she was pregnant in 1988. She went to a Planned Parenthood clinic in Indiana seeking an abortion, but was told that state law required consent from her parents for the procedure. She had the option of going before a judge to argue for a waiver of parental consent, but reportedly feared that her parents would find out.
On a Saturday night in September 1988 Bell left her house, telling her parents that she was going to a party. She came home ill, disheveled, and in tears. Her illness worsened over the next few days but she would not seek medical attention. Her parents ultimately forced her to go to a hospital, where she died on September 16, 1988. Her autopsy found that she had died of septic abortion complicated by pneumonia. These conditions were likely caused by the use of unsterile instruments during the procedure. After Bell's death, her parents found among Bell's possessions contact information for abortion clinics in nearby Kentucky, which did not have parental consent laws, but there was no record of her visiting a Kentucky clinic; it is unclear where Bell obtained her abortion, or whether she induced the abortion herself.
Impact on abortion debate
Following Bell's death, her parents, Bill and Karen Bell, have campaigned against parental consent laws, which they blame for their daughter's death. The Bells worked with the Feminist Majority Foundation, which credited them with helping to turn public opinion against a parental-notification law in Oregon. The Bells worked against proposed parental notification laws in Colorado in 1998. In 2006 they testified before the Michigan House of Representatives in opposition to a pending parental consent law.
In response to her parent's lobbying efforts, some anti-abortion leaders, according to 60 Minutes, attacked "the Bells' motives and the character of their dead daughter". In an interview with 60 Minutes, John C. Willke, a retired physician and anti-abortion advocate, claimed that Bell's mother had stated that Becky was "dating a high-school drop-out" and "got into the drug scene" before her death. Willke also claimed that he and other doctors who had reviewed the autopsy report saw no sign of an induced abortion and believed Bell had experienced a natural miscarriage. The forensic pathologist who conducted Bell's autopsy disagreed, stating that he believed the infection was caused by unsterile instruments.
Lifestories: Families in Crisis episode
On August 15, 1992, HBO aired an episode of Lifestories: Families in Crisis based on Bell's death, which was entitled "Public Law 106: The Becky Bell Story". Dina Spybey portrayed Becky Bell, Debra Monk portrayed Karen Bell and Craig Wasson portrayed Bill Bell.
See also
References
- ^ "Becky's Story". 60 Minutes. CBS News. February 24, 1991.
- ^ Dettmer, Jamie (May 5, 1992). "Abortion's combat zone; Parents". The Times. London.(subscription required)
- ^ Abbot, Karen (October 29, 1998). "Foes of Notification Enlist Grim, Dirty Images". Rocky Mountain News. Denver. p. 11A.
- Brotman, Barbara (April 8, 1990). "Abortion Law Blamed In Death". Chicago Tribune.
- Lewin, Tamar (May 28, 1992). "Parental Consent to Abortion: How Enforcement Can Vary". New York Times.(subscription required)
- Lewin, Tamar (October 27, 1991). "In Debate on Abortion, 2 Girls Make It Real". The New York Times. p. 1.
- Michelman, Kate (May–June 2006). "When parental involvement laws go wrong". The Humanist. 66 (3).(subscription required)
- "Lifestories: Families in Crisis Public Law 106: The Becky Bell Story." IMDb.com. Retrieved January 22, 2007.
External links
- National Abortion Federation: Patient Stories: Parental Involvement (Pro-choice)
- IMDb: Lifestories: Families in Crisis (Becky Bell episode)