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From Pilot and wire reports
WASHINGTON
Lawyers for an abortion doctor who owns a Virginia Beach clinic and is charged with murder in Maryland in the deaths of five fetuses have asked a judge to dismiss the charges. They argue that prosecutors lack jurisdiction because the deaths occurred in New Jersey.
Dr. Steven Brigham, 55, of Voorhees, N.J., lost his New Jersey medical license in 2010 after regulators discovered an arrangement under which he would begin second- and third-trimester abortions in New Jersey, then have patients drive themselves to Maryland the next day so he could complete the procedures.
The website for Brigham's company, American Women's Services, lists Virginia Women's Wellness in Virginia Beach among its 15 clinics in four states. Brigham also is named as the president and secretary of a company operating at the Beach clinic's address, according to state and city records.
Bridget Wilson, a spokeswoman for Virginia Women's Wellness, wrote in an email response: "We would like to clarify that Dr. Brigham has never practiced medicine in the State of Virginia or been involved in any medical procedures performed at our Virginia Beach clinic. As previously stated, Dr. Brigham has no involvement with the day-to-day operations of our location."
Dr. David R. Peters, who worked at Virginia Women's Wellness, has said that the Beach facility is safe and well run. Another doctor listed as working there had a history of problems with his Virginia medical license, although he has been in good standing since 2009.
Over two decades, Brigham's medical licenses in at least four states have either lapsed or been taken away, amid complaints about botched late-term abortions, according to published reports. He doesn't hold a medical license in Virginia.
In a motion filed last week, Brigham's attorneys argued that the arrangement in New Jersey protects him from criminal prosecution in Maryland because Brigham administered drugs that killed the fetuses while the patients were in New Jersey. He then extracted the fetuses at his clinic in Elkton, Md., a small town in the northeast corner of the state.
This story was compiled from reports by The Associated Press and Pilot writer Amy Jeter.
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Aways back when the Byrd Machine controlled Virginia politics,
legislators acted to legalise Abortion simply because women were dying from illegal abortions. The courage of legislators today is less than the public wants, so they " cave " to the Evangelicals who recognise no master.
Doctor playing lawyer?
Maryland recently began prosecution of a couple of doctors who had a little routine going where they were working around some state laws between Maryland and NJ. If memory serves me, Maryland has law prohibiting late-term abortions except in the case of a dead fetus, but does not permit use of chemicals to make a fetus "non-viable". NJ prohibits late-term abortions, but allows use of chemicals to render a fetus non-viable. So the docs would go up to NJ on Tuesdays and inject mothers with chemicals. Then on Wednesdays, they would go down to Maryland and aid in the abortion of non-viable fetuses, some @ 36 wks. This doc MAY have been working the same routine.
http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/news/53332507-78/riley-maryland-murder-utah.html.csp
Well a human fetus is still
Well a human fetus is still a human, just not "baby". A fetus is a medical term, just as embryo is a medical term. Any unborn child greater than 6 weeks gestation is a fetus. Just because you might believe life begins at conception doesn't change the medical terminology of what an unborn "baby" is called. And abortion is still legal in America, so what does it matter what "it" is called. Perhaps this doctor was doing unlawful abortions, but many are still legal.
Legal Or not, it is still wrong
Once upon a time it was legal to buy, sell, trade, and own human beings in this country.
When is a "fetus" human
When is a "fetus" human enough for you? Many "fetuses" lived after being out of the womb as early as six months. Is it only a human or a baby then? Does it depend on how much money is involved?
Acording to science a fetus cannot live b4 21 weeks
a group of cells that cannot exist outside the human body is not a human. According to science a fetus cannot exist until 21 weeks. If you choose to define life begins at conception you really should have some proof to back that up. According to the constitution the bible dosnt count.