Steven Brigham went to jail for insurance fraud and tax evasion. More troubling than that, his license was revoked in New York due to botched abortions. He continued to practice, and his license was stripped in Florida for the same reason.Four years later, New Jersey regulators somehow found Brigham competent to perform abortions after the state attorney general filed 14 counts of negligence, gross negligence, malpractice and professional misconduct concerning five abortions in New Jersey and New York.
Brigham retired his Pennsylvania medical license as he was being investigated for a clinic he ran in Wyomissing, near Reading, Pennsylvania.
Brigham’s attorney claimed the New York investigation was unconstitutional and an attempt to undermine women’s right to access abortions by setting impossible standards, including requiring formal agreement with a hospital in case of emergency. Brigham continued to describe himself as “a champion of a woman’s right to abortion” and “a victim of political persecution.”
Here are only three examples of women he maimed.
# Brigham nearly killed patient “Millie” by performing a dangerous — and illegal — third-trimester abortion on her in his office. See story here.
# Complications of abortion on a late term abortion patient identified as “J.K.”
# Brigham kept yanking with forceps on patient “Anne’s” internal organs, even when it was clear that he wasn’t pulling out fetal parts. He nearly eviscerated her.
The revocation of Brigham’s license in New York State didn’t stop him from operating two abortion clinics in the state. He also performed second-trimester abortions in New Jersey, despite a February 1994 order from the New Jersey medical board limiting him to first-trimester abortions (up to 15 weeks). On August 19, 1993, Brigham told a patient at his New Jersey clinic that she was 16-20 weeks pregnant. He allegedly offered to abort her child in New York for $5,000 to $10,000. The baby girl was then 32-35 weeks’ gestation and was born on September 15, weighing a healthy 6 pounds, 7 ounces.
Brigham voluntarily surrendered his medical license in Pennsylvania after allegations of fraudulent concealment of intention when signing a lease; operating an uninspected and illegally run clinic in a basement in Sinking Spring, after being banned from doing abortions at his Wyomissing office; lack of formal backup with any hospital, and accepting personal property and jewelry as collateral for abortion fees. He voluntarily surrendered his medical license in Georgia when the board notified him of its intent to suspend his license due to allegations in New York and New Jersey.
Brigham was also locked out of his Erie, Pennsylvania abortion clinic when the building’s condominium association said he owed $15,000 in membership fees, and changed the locks on the doors because of his refusal to pay. “Just because he wants to operate an abortion clinic, that doesn’t mean he doesn’t have to follow the rules. We totally support the function of law enforcement. The man [Brigham] just seems to ignore any rules of business and law,” said association president Eugene Ware. Brigham said “I don’t think they can change the locks. This is going to end up in court.”
On October 17, 2000, Erie District Justice John Vendetti issued a warrant for Brigham’s arrest due to his failure to appear at a number of court hearings.
In late 2001, the New York State attorney general initiated a grand jury investigation in Albany County regarding alleged Medicaid fraud at American Women’s Services, an abortion mill on Central Avenue in Colonie, and another related abortion mill in Nanuet, Rockland County. The state shut both clinics on May 22, 2001. On September 16, 2001, Colonie police seized 17 frozen aborted fetuses from abortions performed at the Colonie site. The clinic failed to dispose of the fetuses within 30 days, as required by law, according to the state Health Department. State investigators are trying to determine who owned and operated the American Women’s Services abortuary, which opened October 1, 1994, without the required state license. According to state corporation listings, Brigham owned a company called American Women’s Services, which was dissolved in September 1993. “We are trying to determine his relationship to the clinic,” said Wes Goforth, a spokesman in New York City for the state the attorney general’s Medicaid Fraud Unit. Bank statements for American Women’s Services show Brigham was an authorized signature on the accounts, according to court testimony by Special Assistant Attorney General John Meekins of the attorney general’s office.
Eventually, Brigham moved to the town of King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, where he opened an abortion clinic called American Women’s Services in April 2001. His reputation was so bad at this point that even Carol Petraitis of the Pennsylvania chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union, said she would not refer women to a facility Brigham owned. She said “It seems to me if I were sending a friend, you wouldn’t want to go to a clinic that was run by somebody who has so many problems with his own medical license.”
Vicki Saporta, executive director of the National Abortion Federation, said “Abortion is one of the safest medical procedures provided in America … because of the quality and skill of the doctors that provide abortions. And Steven Brigham is an exception to this rule.”
Melinda DuBois, director of Buffalo Womenservices, currently Buffalo’s only abortion clinic, said that “There are a lot of people who know this man. He owns clinics all over the place. He has a really negative past. We are concerned about a physician whose license has been revoked in New York State and has questionable medical practices.”
References: “State Report: Illinois: Investigation on Abortionist.” Kaiser Daily Reproductive Health Report, September 11, 1989; The Province, September 10, 1990; Reading Eagle-Times, September 1, 6, 7, 11, 17, 19, 20, and 27, 1991, October 3 and 20, 1991, and February 22, 1992; Administrative Review Board Decision and Order Number ARB #94-98 & #94-146; Middlesex County Superior Court Docket #L-5004-94; New York Post, January 7, 1994; Newark Star-Ledger, January 7, 1994; Newark Star-Ledger, June 1, 1994; Rockland Journal-News, August 3, 1994; Reuters America, September 28, 1994; Pensacola News Journal, September 28, 1994; Florida Times Union, September 29, 1994; New York Times, September 30, 1994; Asbury Park Press, October 25, 1994; New Jersey Record, October 25, 1994; New York Times, November 23, 1994; “State Reports: New Jersey: Provider Malpractice Hearing Continues.” Kaiser Daily Reproductive Health Report, November 23, 1994; News-Tribune, December 6, 1994; Trenton Times, November 19, 1994; Newark Star-Ledger, December 7, 1994; Rockland Journal-News, December 10, 1994; Philadelphia Inquirer, December 15, 1994; Trenton Times, December 15, 1994; Atlantic City Press, December 15, 1994; Star-Ledger, December 16, 1994; Courier-Post, December 22, 1994; Pensacola News Journal, December 22, 1994; “State Reports: New Jersey: Abortion Provider’s License Restored.” Kaiser Daily Reproductive Health Report, June 10, 1996; “State Reports: Florida: Follows NJ, NY & PA Taking Action vs. Brigham.” Kaiser Daily Reproductive Health Report, June 10, 1996; “State Reports – New York: Abortion Providers Charged.” Kaiser Family Foundation Daily Reproductive Health Report at www.kff.org, January 24, 1997; Abortion Facility Owner Convicted of Insurance Fraud.” Steven Ertelt’s Pro-Life Infonet at http://www.prolifeinfo.org/infonet.html, February 12, 1998; Tim Graham and Clay Waters. “Roe Warriors: The Media’s Pro-Abortion Bias.” Media Research Council report, July 22, 1998; “Men Behaving Really Badly.” Life Insight [publication of the Secretariat for Pro-Life Activities of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB)]. October 1998 [Volume 9, Number 8]; Susan E. Wills. “Back to the Alley Clinical Psychosis.” National Review, November 13, 1998; “Sylvia Moore, 1968-1986.” The American Feminist [Feminists for Life of America], Spring 1999; Associated Press, October 14, 1999; “Former Abortion Practitioner Avoids Jail in Fraud Case.” Pro-Life Infonet, October 14, 1999; “Unethical Abortion Practitioner Begins 120-day Jail Sentence.” Pro-Life Infonet, February 8, 2000; Associated Press, March 28, 2000; “Office Building Locks Out New Jersey Abortion Practitioner.” Pro-Life Infonet, March 30, 2000; “Warrant Issued for the Arrest of Pennsylvania Abortion Practitioner.” Pro-Life Infonet, October 18, 2000; WSEE TV-35 [Erie, Pennsylvania], October 18, 2000; “Disciplined Abortionist May Open Abortion Facility in Buffalo.” Buffalo News, March 3, 2002; Kevin Dale. “Debate Over ‘Clinic’ in Upper Merion Turns on a Zoning Rule.” Philadelphia Inquirer, March 4, 2002; Pro-Life Infonet, March 5, 2002.
Credit: Christina Dunigan, Abortionviolence.com
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