Friday, December 3, 2010

Operation Rescue: License Revoked of Abortionist who Aided Brigham’s Illegal Late-term Abortion Scheme

A second Brigham abortionist, James L. Hooper, was also suspended on drug charges

Baltimore, MD – The Maryland State Board of Physicians last month permanently revoked the medical license of former abortionist George Shepard, Jr., who played a part in the illegal bi-state late-term abortion scheme operated by the notorious Steven Chase Brigham. Shepard was found guilty of unprofessional conduct in the practice of medicine and aiding an unauthorized person in the practice of medicine.

Shepard, who is 88, was on duty at a secret abortion clinic in Elkton, Maryland, when Brigham and Utah abortionist Nicola Riley botched a late-term abortion on a woman who was transported to the nearby hospital in a private vehicle and later airlifted to Johns Hopkins Medical Center in Baltimore for emergency surgery.

Elkton police later raided the abortion clinic and discovered the remains of 35 late-term aborted babies along with “waste” logs indicating the age and weight of the babies, the oldest of which was 36 weeks, or nearly full term.

Shepard admitted in an interview with the Maryland Board that he had seen Brigham do abortions twice a week for nearly a year even though he knew Brigham was not licensed to practice medicine in Maryland. Shepard also told the Board investigator that he was disabled unable to do abortions himself.

In August, Maryland suspended the licenses of Riley and Shepard, and ordered Brigham to cease and desist the unlicensed practice of medicine. Brigham’s New Jersey medical license was also suspended. Hearings are yet to be scheduled will take place at a later date to determine if Riley and Brigham will also be permanently revoked.

Shepard still holds a license in Delaware, which has also been suspended. It is more than likely that Delaware will soon permanently revoke his license based on Maryland’s actions.

In an unrelated action, the Maryland Board of Physicians suspended the license of James L. Hooper, an abortionist who worked nine years for Brigham in Maryland until the end of 2009. Hooper was suspended on charges of essentially operating a “pill mill”, illegally distributing large quantities of Oxycontin, Lortab, Percocet, and other controlled substances.

Hooper was involved in malpractice law suit in 2007 wherein an abortion patient accused him of horrifically botching her 13-week abortion. According to the law suit, Hooper perforated the woman’s uterus then, when she would not stop screaming in pain, ordered her to sit in the waiting room while he conducted abortions on other patients. When he resumed her abortion, he damaged her internal organs to the extent that she required emergency surgery and the removal of one kidney. He delayed obtaining emergency care for his critically injured patient. Hooper settled the case for an undisclosed amount in 2009. (Read the details.)

“The action taken against these shoddy and dangerous abortionists should give LeRoy Carhart pause to consider if he really wants his own shoddy abortion practices placed under the scrutiny of the Maryland Board of Physicians,” said Operation Rescue President Troy Newman. Carhart, who killed 19-year old Christin Gilbert during a botched third-trimester abortion in Kansas in 2005, is scheduled to begin offering late-term abortions in Germantown, Maryland, on Monday. “Carhart may find that Maryland will not turn a blind eye to his incompetence as Boards have in other states.”

Read Shepard’s Revocation Order
Background

Read Hooper’s Suspension Order

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