Two out-of-state doctors who traveled to Maryland to perform late-term abortions have been arrested and charged with multiple counts of murder under the state's viable fetus law, authorities said.
While late-term abortions are not illegal in Maryland, those who kill viable babies killed in the commission of crimes can be charged with murder in that state.
For background, read Several Abortionists Barred in Two States and also read New Mexico Ignores Deadly Botched Abortions as well as Murders by Abortionist are Conservatives' Fault, Says Media
UPDATE 3/6/12: Government drops murder charges, as defense attorneys argue that prosecution would essentially outlaw abortion
-- From "Authorities: Abortion Doctors Charged With Murder" by Ben Nuckols, Associated Press 12/30/11
Dr. Steven Brigham, of Voorhees, N.J., was taken into custody Wednesday night and is being held in the Camden County jail, according to police in Elkton, Md. Authorities also arrested Dr. Nicola Riley in Salt Lake City and she is in jail in Utah. Each is awaiting an extradition hearing.
A search of [Brigham's Elkton] clinic . . . revealed a freezer with 35 late-term fetuses inside, including one believed to have been aborted at 36 weeks, authorities said.
Brigham, 55, is charged with five counts of first-degree murder, five counts of second-degree murder and one count of conspiracy. Riley, 46, faces one count each of first- and second-degree murder and one conspiracy count.
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From "Doctors in botched Elkton abortion case face murder charges" by Peter Hermann, The Baltimore Sun 12/30/11
In the Elkton case, which police said forms the basis for most of the criminal charges filed this week, an 18-year-old woman from New Jersey suffered a ruptured uterus and other internal injuries during a procedure at the American Woman's Services clinic on East High Street in Elkton.
The physicians board found that the woman, who was 21 weeks pregnant, had initially been treated in Voorhees, N.J., where her cervix was dilated. The woman was then told to travel, in her own car, to Elkton so doctors could complete the procedure.
After the woman suffered a ruptured uterus, state officials said Riley put the patient in Brigham's rented Chevrolet Malibu and drove her Union Hospital in Elkton. The board said she sat in slumped in a wheelchair, nearly unconscious, outside the emergency room, while Riley argued with hospital staff, demanding their identities before treating the woman.
The woman was flown that day to Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore for more treatment. State officials said Riley then returned to his clinic in Elkton to perform another abortion. The injured woman survived.
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From "Utah abortion doctor charged with murder" by Julia Lyon, The Salt Lake Tribune 12/30/11
Although Maryland has suspended Riley’s medical license, she continues to have an active license to practice medicine in Utah.
But she can no longer perform abortions in Utah, under a February agreement with state licensing officials. And in August, she was ordered to pay a $10,000 fine for misleading officials about her criminal background when she applied for a Utah medical license in 2004.
Brigham, who has never been licensed in Maryland, allegedly initiated abortions in New Jersey and Riley completed the procedures in Maryland.
The murder charges do not have an immediate impact on Riley’s medical license in Utah.
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From "Former owner of State College abortion clinic facing murder charges" posted at The Altoona Mirror (Penn.) 12/30/11
Brigham was the owner of State College Medical Services, a clinic that opened in September 1997. The clinic was shut down in August 2002 after years of court battles with its landlord.
Brigham surrendered his Pennsylvania medical license in 2002 after an investigation into abortions he performed in the state.
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From "Abortion Practitioners Charged With Murder in Two States" by Steven Ertelt, LifeNews.com 12/29/11
Brigham operated a secret late-term abortion clinic in Elkton, Maryland, even though he had no license to practice in that state. He hired Riley to do late-term abortions there and at his abortion clinic in Baltimore. Brigham would start the late-term abortions at his office in New Jersey, then caravan the laboring women to Elkton where the abortions would be completed. The clandestine abortion scheme was discovered after a woman suffered a life-threatening botched abortion in August, 2010. When police raided the Elkton abortion clinic, they discovered the remains of 35 aborted babies, one of which was 33 weeks gestation.
Responding to the news that abortionists Steven Brigham and Nicola Riley are being held in custody for the murders of viable babies, Father Frank Pavone, National Director of Priests for Life, stated:
“These two individuals are now where they belong and should be in jail for the rest of their lives. This case, as it progresses, is key for the American people to pay attention to, because it exposes the abortion industry for what it is. Abortionists have no respect for human life, much less for human laws. Even those who believe abortion should be legal can join with us to stop the out of control practices of people like Brigham and Riley. And the time is now.”
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