An Illinois abortion doctor just settled a lawsuit after a mother says he left part of her unborn baby’s skull stuck to her intestine.
Story Snapshot
- Dr. Keith Reisinger-Kindle of Equity Clinic in Champaign, Illinois, settled a malpractice lawsuit last month over a botched 2023 abortion.
- An Indiana woman says he perforated her uterus and left fetal remains, including skull pieces, inside her body.
- A judge forced the woman to reveal her identity in court after Reisinger-Kindle fought to strip her anonymity.
- Illinois regulators already fined and reprimanded the doctor before the lawsuit settled.
Botched Abortion Left Fetal Remains Inside Patient
Michelle Hardy traveled from Indiana to Equity Clinic in Champaign, Illinois, for an abortion in April 2023. She was 22 weeks pregnant at the time. According to her lawsuit, Dr. Keith Reisinger-Kindle punctured a hole in her uterus during the procedure and failed to remove all of the fetal remains.
Two days after the procedure, Hardy sought emergency treatment at a hospital in Indiana. Doctors there discovered what her complaint later described as “the remains of half of a deceased pre-born human being” lodged in her pelvis. She filed her lawsuit in Champaign County Circuit Court in March 2025, naming both Reisinger-Kindle and Equity Clinic.
Lawsuit Detailed Uterine Perforation and Skull Fragments
Court filings described a second surgery in which doctors found pieces of the fetal skull stuck to Hardy’s intestine. Those fragments had to be removed piece by piece. The lawsuit sought hundreds of thousands of dollars in damages, arguing the ordeal caused her lasting physical injury and severe emotional trauma.
The case took an ugly turn when Reisinger-Kindle’s legal team asked the court to force Hardy, then known only as “Jane Doe,” to identify herself publicly or drop her claim. Champaign County Circuit Judge Jason Bohm sided with the doctor on August 26, 2025, ruling she had to reveal her name to move forward with the case. A pro-life advocacy group tracking the case called the move an attempt to silence a woman already victimized by a failed procedure.
State Regulators Fined Doctor, Lawsuit Quietly Settled
Before the lawsuit even settled, the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation fined and formally reprimanded Reisinger-Kindle for performing an unsafe abortion, according to state records. That disciplinary action came while the malpractice case was still pending in court, adding an official government finding on top of Hardy’s private legal claim.
Illinois abortionist Keith Reisinger-Kindle settled a lawsuit after puncturing an Indiana mother's uterus and leaving her aborted baby's remains behind. #ProLife #Abortion #MedicalMalpractice #Illinois #ChristianPost
🔗 https://t.co/RRfNtgwkNO https://t.co/vF1V4w3fm3 pic.twitter.com/SNqrFuWynX— The Christian Post (@ChristianPost) August 18, 2026
The lawsuit was resolved last month for an undisclosed amount, according to reporting confirmed in August 2026. Reisinger-Kindle has continued performing abortions at Equity Clinic since the settlement. Medical literature confirms uterine perforation and retained fetal tissue are recognized, if uncommon, risks tied to second-trimester abortion procedures, sometimes requiring follow-up surgery when doctors fail to fully evacuate the uterus.
This case lands squarely in a debate conservatives have pushed for years: that late-term abortion carries real, documented dangers for women, not just unborn children. A doctor fined by his own state regulator, sued by a patient, and still performing the same procedures raises hard questions about oversight in an industry that resists scrutiny at every turn.
Sources:
lifesitenews.com, chicago.suntimes.com, christianpost.com, liveaction.org, etzlerlawheadlegalgroup.com, cincinnatirighttolife.org, dailymail.co.uk, x.com
