A nurse at a gynecology clinic in Seoul mistakenly injected anesthesia to a pregnant patient seeking nutritional shots after mixing up her identity with another patient, according to Seoul Gangseo Police.
The victim, a Vietnamese woman pregnant with a 6-week-old fetus, fell asleep not knowing that a doctor was conducting an abortion. The doctor, police say, also failed to check and confirm the patient’s identity.
(MORE: What to know about new abortion restrictions and what they could mean for Roe v. Wade)"The police charged the doctor and nurse on suspicion of professional negligence, as they admitted to committing such offense," Seoul Gangseo Police told ABC News.
Police have launched an investigation into the tragic mix-up and the case will soon be sent to the prosecutor's office.
(MORE: Where US abortion laws stand 45 years after Roe v. Wade)The victim had visited the hospital with her husband last month for a pregnancy test and was prescribed an IV solution to for nutritional supplements. She returned to the hospital the next day after bleeding and was told by another doctor that she had gone through an abortion.