Riverside County Court of Appeals to Reconsider Motion of Discovery
June 2, 1999 @ 1:30 PM - 3389 12th Street Riverside, California
What Is Happening With Dr. Bruce Steir?
In February 1999, the California Supreme Court, acting on a petition submitted by the defense, intervened in Dr. Steir's case, sending his discovery motion back to the Riverside County's Court of Appeals for reconsideration. On June 2, 1999, defense attorney Doron Weinberg's discovery motion will request official documents to prove Dr. Steir's prosecution is politically motivated. The Attorney General and Riverside District Attorney will have the opportunity to show cause why additional discovery should not be ordered. The Court of Appeals is expected to rule on this motion.
In the meantime, the California Supreme Court ordered all proceedings in Dr. Steir's case stayed until the Appeals court has decided upon the request for discovery. This means that no future hearing or trial dates will be set until the discovery motion is finally resolved.
Who Decided To Prosecute Dr. Steir For Murder?
The decision to single out Dr. Steir for this unique prosecution was made both by the Medical Board of California (which was advised by its counsel the Office of the Attorney General), who referred the case to the District Attorney for an involuntary manslaughter prosecution. The final decision was made by the District Attorney who decided to elevate the charge to murder.
What Part Have The Anti-Abortion Forces Played?
Weinberg has presented evidence that the Medical Board of California has a history of close communication and cooperation with Jeannette Driesbach, of the Pro-Life Medical Association. The Board's own records also show that the Board was responsive to media coverage and Driesbach's political pressure.
The evidence shows that the Attorney General forcefully counseled the Medical Board of California to take a harsher position in the administrative action against Dr. Steir than customary, and that Deputy Attorney General Jose Guerrero worked in direct concert with Jeannette Driesbach in pursuing the investigation, providing, her with non-public records which then "showed up" at the Coroner's office, causing him to change the finding of "accidental death" to "homicide."
Did The D.A. Go Out Of The Way To Prosecute Dr. Steir For Murder?
YES, the evidence shows that the Riverside D.A. was contacted and lobbied by Driesbach, and the D.A. actually solicited the referral of Dr. Steir's case from the Medical Board of California, and furthermore, that Kennis Clark, the Deputy D.A., undertook considerable effort to seek out purported "evidence" of "malice" to justify elevating the charges from manslaughter to murder.
What Can You Do?
The Dr. Bruce Steir Defense Committee strongly urges you to lend your support.
* Stay informed. Visit Dr. Steir's website at www.steirsdefense.org
* If you, or your organization would like to work on the defense committee or become sponsors of Dr. Steir's defense, please contact the defense committee for more details.
* Contribute to Dr. Steir's defense, send tax-deductible checks to Dr. Steir Constitutional Litigation Fund.
* Write letters of support for Dr. Steir. Pro-Choice voices must heard in order to save access to abortion. Take a stand, write a letter of support. Urge others to do the same.
* Plan to attend court in Riverside, Ca. IF Dr. Steir's case goes to trial. Contact the defense committee for more details.
* Organize informational meetings to get the word out about the attack on Dr. Steir and later abortion. Speakers from the defense committee are available. Additional information, updates, case summaries, and preliminary hearing transcripts are available upon request.
* Organize a fundraiser to help fund Dr. Steir's defense.
* Write the Medical Board of California. For years, the Medical Board of California has received a barrage of letters from anti-choice activists and legislators. The Pro-Choice community needs to speak up and let the Board know that it will not tolerate unfair treatment of abortion providers. Address letters to:
Medical Board of California,
Attn.: Executive Director
1420 Howe Avenue, Sacramento, Ca 95825
No Doctors To Provide Abortions ... No Right To Choice
Dr. Bruce Steir Defense Committee
c/o Feminist Women's Health Center
1469 Humboldt Road, Suite 200
Chico, Ca 95928
(530) 891-1917
Steirfund@aol.com
http://www.steirsdefense.org
[posted Wed, Apr 28, 1999]
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