Coauthor Cathy Nahirny responds: Most of the victims were targeted because they were pregnant and the abductor was unable or unwilling to wait until the birth. A few were victimized in their homes, whereas others were befriended by the abductor and went somewhere willingly, unaware of the true purpose of the trip.

In the majority of the nine cases, the abductors performed the cesarean section. A medical professional was involved in only one case, in which the victim was lured to Mexico, where a physician performed the cesarean section in a clinic. Some victims were stabbed, shot, or strangled to unconsciousness before the surgery was performed. Although they may have been alive during the cesarean section, all but one woman-the victim who was operated on by the physician-succumbed to their injuries.

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