Teen dies from complications after second-trimester abortion at Planned Parenthood: report

An 18-year-old woman died from complications from a second-trimester abortion she obtained at a Colorado Planned Parenthood clinic, according to a newly unredacted autopsy report obtained by pro-life groups after a legal dispute over the release of the records.

On Monday, the pro-life nonprofit law firm Life Legal announced that it and the pro-life activist group Operation Rescue had obtained the unredacted autopsy report of Lexi Arguello. 

The teenager was nearly 22 weeks pregnant when she underwent a second-trimester abortion at Planned Parenthood in Fort Collins. Colorado is among nine states and Washington, D.C., that do not impose gestational limits on abortion.

According to the unredacted report, Arguello “died of complications of surgical pregnancy termination, including disseminated intravascular coagulation,” a life-threatening blood-clotting disorder. The report also listed “probable amniotic fluid embolism, refractory shock, and multiorgan failure” as contributing conditions.

“This autopsy is one of the few public documents that can expose Planned Parenthood for wrongdoing in the tragic death of Lexi Arguello,” Operation Rescue President Troy Newman said in a Monday statement.

Operation Rescue initially began investigating the circumstances surrounding Arguello’s death following Dr. Keri Kasun’s testimony last year before the Colorado House Health and Human Services Committee. 

Kasun referenced the case while testifying in support of HB25-1252, legislation that would have required second- and third-trimester abortion facilities to follow the same reporting requirements and regulations as other ambulatory surgical centers.

Kasun testified that Arguello’s grandparents believed their granddaughter was hospitalized “too late” following the abortion procedure.

Operation Rescue partnered with Life Legal after Larimer County Coroner Stephen Hanks released a heavily redacted version of the autopsy report that omitted references to abortion and Arguello’s cause of death.

According to court filings, Hanks defended the redactions by citing “Colorado’s strong public policy in favor of protecting reproductive healthcare.” He also testified that publicly releasing abortion-related information in autopsy reports could discourage individuals from seeking abortions.

A judge ultimately rejected those arguments and ordered the records released under Colorado public records law.

Larimer County Coroner Stephen Hanks and Planned Parenthood did not immediately respond to requests for comment from The Christian Post.

In a statement provided to The Christian Post, Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America President Marjorie Dannenfelser said: “Lexi Arguello’s autopsy is definitive: Another young mom has been killed by abortion and Planned Parenthood. Arguello’s death isn’t just a tragedy; it is a pattern of callousness on the part of America’s largest abortion business.”

Dannenfelser noted that even The New York Times has reported on the “shoddy so-called care” provided by Planned Parenthood. In February 2025, the Times reviewed multiple documents and legal filings related to Planned Parenthood facilities nationwide and conducted interviews with more than 50 current and former executives and staff.

Among the cases highlighted was Nakara Alston, who said she delivered a baby at 12 weeks after undergoing an abortion procedure at a Planned Parenthood facility. The baby later died.

In April, Planned Parenthood released its annual report for 2024 to 2025, revealing it performed 434,450 abortions in 2023 to 2024. The report also stated that Planned Parenthood received $832 million in government reimbursements and grants, representing 38% of its total revenue.

“Pro-life laws protect unborn children and women, but the Big Abortion industry doesn’t care about babies or mothers — they care about their profits,” Dannenfelser said. “How many more victims are out there, whose names we do not even know, thanks to officials like the coroner who are more concerned about running cover than letting the truth come out?”

“This is a national disgrace that calls for national leadership and solutions. Abortion businesses like Planned Parenthood don’t deserve a dime of taxpayer dollars,” Dannenfelser said about Arguello’s death.