Abortion

Pennsylvania Nurse Accused of Giving Teen Medication Abortion Pills

A Pennsylvania nurse has been accused of “performing an illegal abortion on a 16-year-old girl,” according to a local report out of Montour county.

A Pennsylvania nurse has been accused of “performing an illegal abortion on a 16-year-old girl,” according to a local report out of Montour county. Woman medication via Shutterstock

A Pennsylvania nurse has been accused of “performing an illegal abortion on a 16-year-old girl,” according to a local report out of Montour county.

WNEP reports:

State police say Jennifer Whalen, 38, of Washingtonville bought the pills from an overseas online pharmacy in January of 2012, and gave them to the teenager. She was charged earlier this week with performing an illegal abortion. According to court papers, the teenager did not have health insurance and did not want to go to the hospital to have the procedure.

Located in rural central Pennsylvania, Montour is the smallest county in the state. It has no freestanding abortion clinics.

“I think it speaks to the need for folks to have affordable access to safe and confidential care,” Sarah Newman, director of public affairs at Planned Parenthood Keystone, told Rewire.

According to the report, “about two weeks after the teen took the abortion pills she had severe stomach pains and was taken to Geisinger Medical Center,” where doctors said she had a miscarriage.

Whalen’s relationship to the teen is unclear.