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Senate candidate Coburn denies malpractice
Wednesday, September 15, 2004

Republican U.S. Senate candidate Tom Coburn denied on Tuesday that he committed fraud or medical malpractice for an incident in which he sterilized a woman more than a decade ago.

The woman, then 20, accused Coburn of removing one of her fallopian tubes without permission. Coburn, in a deposition for a malpractice lawsuit, admitted performing the procedure but said the woman wanted it. He never received her written consent.

At the time, Coburn did not report, to Medicaid, the procedure. The Medicaid program does not cover sterilization of anyone younger than 21. In the deposition, he warned the woman and her mother not to talk about what happened due to the restriction.

Coburn, however, did file with Medicaid for another procedure for the woman's pregnancy, according to Salon. But he tells The Washington Post that he didn't "file to get paid [so] there's no fraud."

Coburn's opponent is Rep. Brad Carson (D-Oklahoma), a member of the Cherokee Nation.

Get the Story:
Okla. Senate Candidate Is Accused of Fraud (The Washington Post 9/15)
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Old Medical Malpractice Suit Roils Oklahoma Senate Race (The New York Times 9/15)
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Medicine man (Salon.Com 9/13)
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Relevant Links:
Tom Coburn - http://www.coburnforsenate.com
Brad Carson, campaign site - http://www.bradcarson.com
Brad Carson, U.S. House site - http://carson.house.gov

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