$9.5 Million Awarded in ’78 Abortion Case
A jury awarded $9.5 million to a woman who was left severely brain damaged after undergoing an abortion at Illinois Masonic Medical Center.
Shelby Moran, 50, who now lives in a suburban nursing home, underwent the abortion in January, 1978.
The mother of five and former manager of the Oak Lawn Elks Club suffered brain damage as a result of a reaction to a drug used in the abortion, the Cook County jury decided Friday. The drug caused her heart to stop, which cut off oxygen to her brain, her attorney said.
The court assessed the damages among the hospital; Dr. John J. Barton, chief of obstetrics and gynecology, and Upjohn Co., maker of the drug.
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