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
Question. Making all abortion illegal would mean a rise in dangerous illegal abortions, actually causing more death and suffering which is something you’re obviously against. How do you get around the fact that abortion could never realistically be stopped as a whole? Women have always had ways of aborting fetuses and many use to die before massive changes were made to law, healthcare and available contraceptives.
I ask because reading the above article I see the issue being less about performing late term abortions and more about a quack doctor that shouldn’t be allowed around any patient whether their pregnant or have a runnynose.
Laura Hope Smith died of a legal abortion in 2007. It was not safe and the laws did not protect her. Abortion is illegal in God’s court already.
You say “How do you get around the fact that abortion could never realistically be stopped as a whole?” My question to you is “Are you God?” “How do you know about the future?”
Abortion of all kinds should be ended. We don’t have the right to end life. Who are we to decide when a life should be ended? If women had to start being responsible for getting pregnant, they might be a little more cautious about having sex. Abortion to some is an easy way out AT THE TIME. Later, most regret their decision. Abortions should be illegal and hard to come by. So many young women think that just because it is illegal that makes it okay in God’s eyes. Well, it doesn’t. Here’s something to think about…. if a woman is murdered and she is pregnant, why is the murdered charged with 2 murders? Is it because she had another life inside of her? Yes. So why are abortions okay? It is murder, right? Think about it.