California Medical Board: We let one troubled abortionist monitor another troubled abortionist

The California Medical Board allowed Christopher Dotson, abortionist who previously had faced disciplinary action, to monitor abortionist Andrew Rutland, who (while supposedly being monitored) botched an abortion which led to a woman's death.

Even before the death of the abortion patient last year, both doctors had had serious run-ins with regulators. In a high-profile case, Rutland surrendered his license in 2002 after the medical board accused him of mishandling the deliveries of two infants who died. He was allowed to return to practice under certain conditions, including that his work be monitored by another doctor.

Records show Dotson also had been accused of mishandling two cases in which patients died....

In 2007, Dotson and a second physician, Josepha Seletz, of Eve Surgical Center, agreed to pay $1 million to settle a lawsuit over the death of a mother of two, according to documents filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court.

The family alleged that the woman, Oriane Shevin, was improperly given Mifepristone -- which is used for early pregnancy termination -- and did not receive proper follow-up care, the documents show. As a result, the family said in the court records, she acquired a fatal infection.....

Records show that Dotson wrote favorably on behalf of the accused physician, even after the abortion patient died.

In an Oct. 9 report to the state, for instance, Dotson wrote: "Dr. Rutland and I discussed at length the tragic death of a patient by the name of Ying Chen who after the injection of a local anesthetic preparatory for a pregnancy termination suffered an anaphylactic reaction. In spite of appropriate resuscitation efforts, she succumbed in the hospital.

"In my opinion, Dr. Rutland is taking his probation very seriously and doing everything he can to more than meet the requisite requirements."

William Heisel has more on Dotson's background.

Dotson was among the rarest of the rare, a doctor who had been reported to the medical board by his hospital. Hollywood Presbyterian Hospital in Los Angeles said Dotson had been negligent in the treatment of multiple patients. He lost his privileges to practice there.

One of Dotson’s patients died following an abortion in February 1992. The board said that Dotson failed to adequately examine her and should have classified her case as high risk. Because he did not, the board said, the patient ended up bleeding severely from her uterus. Dotson was not prepared to respond. He did not have the right equipment, and he was not able to give her a blood transfusion quickly enough.

Heisel also notes that Rutland asked for Dotson to be his supervisor.