FORT COLLINS, Colo. — After working behind the scenes and within the courts for over a year, Operation Rescue and Life Legal Defense Foundation won a huge victory in one of the most pro-abortion states in America, finally obtaining the unredacted copy of Lexi Arguello’s autopsy.
Lexi Arguello developed a catastrophic complication during a second trimester abortion performed by Planned Parenthood on February 6, 2025. Public testimony soon revealed Planned Parenthood likely waited “too late” to call 911 and delayed emergency care even further by reportedly requesting a silent approach – no lights or sirens. Lexi died at the hospital hours later.
The unredacted autopsy concluded that 18-year-old Lexi Arguello died from complications following a second-trimester surgical abortion at 21 weeks and 6 days gestation.
Specifically, the forensic pathologist found that she developed disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) — a catastrophic clotting disorder — after the procedure, leading to cardiovascular collapse and multi-organ failure. The report identified “probable amniotic fluid embolism” (AFE), a rare and often fatal emergency that can occur during invasive abortion procedures, as a significant contributing condition.
Troy Newman, President of Operation Rescue, stated, “This autopsy is one of the few public documents that can expose Planned Parenthood for wrongdoing in the tragic death of Lexi Arguello. It’s also a document than can prove just how dangerous unregulated and unlicensed Colorado abortion clinics have become. Women are dying and state officials are looking the other way.”
Operation Rescue requested Lexi’s autopsy less than two weeks after her death, only to receive a highly redacted copy with any information related to the abortion or possible complications blacked out. Even the cause of death was partially redacted.
Alexandra Snyder, CEO of Life Legal responded, “This was not a narrow privacy redaction. Colorado officials concealed medical findings and Lexi’s official cause of death from the public to shield a politically favored industry from scrutiny.”
When it became clear that Larimar County Coroner Stephen Hanks believed protecting dangerous abortion clinics was more important than letting the public discern the facts, Operation Rescue contacted Life Legal Defense Foundation. Working with Colorado attorney Tim Goddard, this dedicated legal team prepared to file suit against the coroner who was clearly misinterpreting multiple laws and regulations to withhold public information about Lexi’s cause of death. However, before the team could submit the suit, Coroner Hanks submitted his own request to the courts to keep Lexi’s autopsy heavily redacted.
In a January hearing, Hanks argued that redacting Lexi’s autopsy was in the best interest of the public as it might deter women from seeking “reproductive healthcare” (i.e. abortions).
Newman added, “The Coroner fully understood that women might not enter an abortion clinic when they know the staff have injured or even killed a patient. Only, instead of believing women deserve all the facts when choosing where they go for healthcare, Mr. Hanks thought it better they be kept in the dark and the truth about Lexi’s death kept under wraps. This is how abortion radicals keep abortion in business – by constantly hiding the truth.”
The judge, thankfully, did not agree with the coroner’s assessment. On April 27, 2026, over a year after Lexi’s death, the District Court ordered Mr. Hanks to provide a full, unredacted copy of the autopsy to Operation Rescue.
Attorney Snyder emphasized, “Lexi’s death highlights the dangerous lack of oversight surrounding Colorado’s abortion industry. The public has a right to know what happens inside Planned Parenthood, especially when taxpayer-funded abortion providers continue fighting common-sense safety standards.”
The release of the unredacted autopsy finally allows the public — and Lexi’s family — to more fully examine the circumstances surrounding her death and determine whether additional questions still need to be answered.
Newman concluded, “We have spent over a year investigating Lexi’s death, gathering records and conducting interviews. We fully believe Planned Parenthood failed Lexi in numerous ways, including delaying emergency care that may have saved her life. We also suspect Planned Parenthood led family members to believe Lexi’s death was unavoidable. We encourage the family to reach out to a malpractice attorney. If needed, Operation Rescue is always willing to put family members in touch with legal help.”
