The headline was, to put it mildly, somewhat understated: “Pa. probing controversial abortion clinic in Phila.”
According to Marie McCullough of the Philadelphia Inquirer, Steven Brigham, a controversial abortionist, may have opened a new clinic in Pennsylvania despite the state’s prohibition on such practices and the recently enacted state law that subjects abortion clinics to increased scrutiny. McCullough’s Wednesday story outlined Brigham’s extensive history of legal challenges and regulatory battles.
Public records indicate that Brigham, 57, has a two-decade history of litigation with various entities, including medical boards, regulators, the IRS, landlords, creditors, and most recently, criminal prosecutors in Maryland.
Following the loss of his Pennsylvania medical license in 1992, he subsequently surrendered his medical privileges in New York, Florida, and California.
He is currently engaged in hearings before an administrative judge in New Jersey, attempting to retain his last licence. Three years ago, New Jersey suspended it when he was apprehended – following the reporting of a critically injured patient to the police – for engaging in the same practice that he had been previously disciplined for in the mid-1990s: initiating late-term abortions in New Jersey and concluding them in another state.
McCullough’s account provides a comprehensive narrative. Although the evidence is largely circumstantial, there is sufficient evidence to suggest that Integrity Family Health is part of Brigham’s empire. This will be discussed in more detail below.
Those who advocate for abortion rights, who remained silent while convicted murderer Kermit Gosnell operated an abortion clinic in Philadelphia for 17 years, are now claiming credit for alerting authorities to the possibility of a connection between Brigham and Gosnell. They also argue that the recently passed legislation in Pennsylvania regulating and upgrading the requirements of abortion clinics has had the unintended consequence of “limiting women’s opportunities for good health care.” In an interview with the pro-abortion website RH Reality Check.org, Michelle Brownlee (D-Philadelphia) stated…
It is notable that the Women’s Medical Society, which was the subject of a criminal investigation for the deaths of several babies born alive during abortions, operated in Brownlee’s district. Furthermore, it is unsurprising that Brownlee opposed the requirement that all free-standing abortion clinics be treated as ambulatory surgical facilities.
For those wishing to read McCullough’s comprehensive and considered analysis of Brigham in its entirety, it can be accessed here. To gain a fuller understanding of the situation, it is necessary to note that although Brigham has experienced a number of setbacks, he continues to operate a number of abortion clinics in several states. McCullough’s text is as follows:
Despite the fact that the enterprise has 11 clinics in New Jersey, Virginia, and Florida, five facilities in Maryland – including the secret one – have been closed by the state. In Pennsylvania, where Brigham previously operated four clinics, the state last year ordered the closure of the remaining two, in Pittsburgh and Allentown.
According to the account, staff members at the Philadelphia Women’s Center abortion clinic received a telephone call from a patient. A search of the name on Google revealed a newspaper article about Brigham’s Maryland clinics that mentioned ‘Integrity Health in Pennsylvania’.
Following a series of telephone calls, it was discovered that appointments were being made for Integrity Family Health through Brigham’s multistate abortion company, American Women’s Services. Upon hearing a recorded message and other pertinent details, they proceeded to contact the relevant state health officials.
In a legal definition of “infrastructure failures,” regulators in Pennsylvania seized the opportunity last year to shut down the clinics for “serious compromises to patient safety,” as McCullough reports. In particular, the Allentown clinic was unable to renew its lease, and the obstetrician-gynecologist who served both Pittsburgh and Allentown resigned.
In April 2012, State Health Department Deputy Secretary Anna Marie Sossong wrote to Brigham, ordering him to inform the public that the clinics were no longer operational and to modify his website accordingly.
What was Brigham’s response? According to McCullough, the American Women’s Services website states that the clinics are currently closed on a temporary basis. Brigham is engaged in litigation to have the clinics reopened.
In legal documents, Brigham’s legal counsel asserts that the clinics did, in fact, have an obstetrician-gynecologist (ob-gyn) on staff. Vikram Kaji, aged 77.
It is notable that the aforementioned legal documents fail to mention the fact that Brigham was previously sanctioned in the 1990s for employing Kaji, despite the ob-gyn’s Pennsylvania license being suspended for sexually abusing patients.
Daniel Miller is responsible for nearly all of National Right to Life News' political writing.
With the election of Donald Trump to the U.S. presidency, Daniel Miller developed a deep obsession with U.S. politics that has never let go of the political scientist. Whether it's the election of Joe Biden, the midterm elections in Congress, the abortion rights debate in the Supreme Court or the mudslinging in the primaries - Daniel Miller is happy to stay up late for you.
Daniel was born and raised in New York. After living in China, working for a news agency and another stint at a major news network, he now lives in Arizona with his two daughters.
