Life Links 3/28/13

In the Kermit Gosnell murder trial, assistant medical examiner Gary Collins has testified that despite the defense attorney's claims, Karnamaya Mongar's death had nothing to do with soot in her lungs. 
   

Defense attorney Jack McMahon has argued that Mongar hid respiratory problems that made her more vulnerable to the effects of Demerol.

Mongar, a native of Bhutan, lived for 20 years in a refugee settlement camp in Nepal before immigrating with her family to the United States four months before she died.

Collins conceded that Mongar's lungs showed carbon particles but said it was the normal soot inhaled by any person, not sign of a disease such as black lung. Otherwise, Collins said, Mongar's lungs were normal.

A fight is brewing in San Francisco over Planned Parenthood's plans to put a clinic (which they claim won't provide abortions) downtown near a Catholic church.

Although Planned Parenthood says it doesn't intend to offer abortions at the clinic, opponents of the procedure have already fired off dozens of letters to the city opposing the facility. Neighboring businesses are also wary of the project, fearing protesters at the clinic will drive away customers.

Some 100 people, many of them opponents, turned up at a recent meeting where a parking plan for the clinic at 435 Grand Avenue was approved. An appeal to the City Council of that decision is expected and the deadline is next week. But parking is just the start of the approval process, which will go to the planning commission, and in all likelihood the City Council.

A woman who believes proposed legislation in North Dakota would prevent her from getting in vitro fertilization allegedly threatened the life of a state lawmaker.  The legislation appears to attempt to limit the number of embryos created in an IVF cycle to the number that will be implanted.

Richland County State's Attorney Ron McBeth on Friday charged Nicolette Jean Knudson with threatening a public servant, a class C Felony punishable upon conviction with up to five years in jail, $5,000 or both.

Court records obtained by Forum Communications show authorities allege Knudson called Sen. Margaret Sitte, R-Bismarck, at 3 a.m. Feb. 27 and threatened to kill Sitte if she interfered with her attempts to get pregnant via in vitro fertilization.   

A Pennsylvania man named Ruben Velazquez has pleaded guilty to killing his girlfriend and unborn child.  He faces two terms of 5 to 40 years.